A 48-year-old Pennsylvania woman was sentenced March 1 to two years’ probation for trying to obstruct the administration of IRS law, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The woman was also ordered to cooperate with the IRS in all taxes.
U.S. Attorney Peter Smith said that on June 2, 2010, IRS Automated Collection Services issued a “Notice of Levy” to the woman’s employer seeking garnishment of wages in the amount of $6,133 for unpaid 2004 taxes.
She later sought hardship relief through the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), according to Smith, who noted that the advocate assigned to her found that she had failed to file tax returns in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007.
The woman received a letter from TAS informing her that she was not eligible for assistance from TAS until she filed her tax returns. In response, she scanned TAS letterhead and forged a letter purporting to release the levy on her wages and emailed it to her employer, according to Smith.
The woman was indicted in March 2011, and she later pleaded guilty in October 2011.
We do not recommend the taxpayer’s strategy in attempting to remove the wage garnishment. If you are faced with an IRS Notice of Levy or other IRS tax problem you should consult a CPA or tax attorney with IRS tax collection experience. Remember there is a solution to every tax problem.