IRS-CI releases FY2022 annual report highlighting more than 2,550 investigations, 90% conviction rate; enforcement actions focused on tax fraud, money laundering, cybercrimes

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IR-2022-194, November 3, 2022

WASHINGTON — In fiscal year 2022, IRS Criminal Investigation initiated more than 2,550 criminal investigations, identified over $31 billion from tax and financial crimes, and obtained a 90.6% conviction rate on cases accepted for prosecution. The IRS-CI FY22 Annual Report, released Thursday, details these statistics, as well as important partnerships and significant criminal enforcement actions from the past fiscal year, which began October 1, 2021, and ended September 30, 2022.

“The cases the IRS-CI team investigated over the past fiscal year touch multiple continents and require cooperation with partners around the globe. This is why IRS-CI continues to cement itself as the preeminent law enforcement agency investigating financial crimes on a global scale,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

In FY22, IRS-CI expanded partnerships with foreign counterparts to help combat tax and financial crimes on a global level. IRS-CI special agents delivered trainings in countries like Argentina, Germany, Colombia, and Palau on topics ranging from cybercrime to human trafficking. IRS-CI Mexico City, after changes to Mexico law that enabled the extradition of tax fugitives, launched an initiative to identify fugitives who had absconded to Mexico and nearby countries. This initiative resulted in the location of 79 criminal fugitives and the apprehension of eight during the first year.

IRS-CI joined Taskforce Kleptocapture in March 2022 to target Russian oligarchs and other sanctions-evaders. It also worked with the Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) to identify potential sanction evaders or sanctioned assets as part of a global strategy to deter Russia’s aggression. As of September 2022, the agency had identified nearly 50 individuals and entities for potential sanctions-related enforcement.

IRS-CI’s 2,077 special agents spent about 70% of their time investigating tax-related crimes like tax evasion and tax fraud during FY22, while nearly 30% of their time was spent on money laundering and drug trafficking cases. Special agents identified over $31 billion from tax and financial crimes, and the agency seized assets valued at approximately $7 billion in FY22. IRS-CI is the only U.S. federal law enforcement agency that focuses 100% on financial investigations.

“Our team follows the money,” said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. “We’ve been doing it for more than 100 years, and we’ve followed criminals into the dark web and now into the metaverse. Tax and other financial crimes know no borders. If you violate the law and end up in the crosshairs of an IRS-CI special agent, you are likely going to jail.”

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by IRS – Internal Revenue Service