IRS analysts dig for data ..... privacy ..... YEAH RIGHT !!!!

[MORTARDUDE]

IRS analysts dig for data

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

May 23, 2003


Indianapolis center chases leads to save agents time

By Shannon Tan

Tucked away on the fourth floor of the federal courthouse in Indianapolis is one of a dozen Internal Revenue Service centers nationwide where investigative analysts pursue hundreds of leads.

Open since December 2001, the Lead Development Center is designed to free special agents to pursue cases in the field while analysts search public records and financial databases from their computers.

A person, for example, might call the IRS to report that his neighbor runs a car business out of his garage, drives a Cadillac and owns a cabin on Morse Reservoir. But the neighbor apparently doesn't include that information in his tax returns.

Searching property and vehicle records, the analysts can find out whether the allegations are true.

Years ago, an IRS agent would have to do his own research before pursuing cases in the field. The Lead Development Centers have reduced the number of "agent hours" by 28 percent, according to the IRS.

There are 12 centers in cities such as Portland, Ore.; Tampa, Fla.; and Atlanta. The seven investigative analysts in the Indianapolis center also help agents in Chicago.

The largest case took more than 200 hours and involved 40 businesses and people, said Martha Paddock, supervisor of the Indianapolis center. On average, each analyst takes more than 22 hours to look into two cases a week.

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"We don't get a whole lot of information," said analyst Shelli Fletcher. "I'm a digger. I really like digging to see what I can find. I can find anything or everything about a person."


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Searching public records and databases such as Equifax, analysts pull out as much financial and personal information as possible. The computer records are compiled in a "package" -- plain brown folders filled with paperwork.

Since the center opened, analysts have put together 400 packages in cases involving mortgage fraud and money laundering. Not every package turns into a criminal case.

If cases warrant criminal investigation, a special agent starts interviewing taxpayers and their neighbors.

Fletcher, a former field investigator for the Indiana attorney general's consumer fraud unit, says her stint as an analyst has been a great steppingstone for her. She hopes to become an IRS special agent.