FORMER IRS EMPLOYEE SENTENCED FOR IDENTITY THEFT SCHEME

	FORMER IRS EMPLOYEE SENTENCED FOR IDENTITY THEFT SCHEME August 29, 2005
U. S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Georgia 75 Spring Street, S.W. - Suite 600 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Tel: 404.581.6000 Fax: 404.581.6181	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and Greg Rutter, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Strategic Enforcement Division, announce MICHAEL SAPP, 44, of Douglasville, Georgia, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Julie E. Carnes, on charges of unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information. SAPP was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and ordered to serve 3 years of supervised release. SAPP has been in federal custody since his arrest on February 25, 2005. SAPP was indicted on February 22, 2005 and entered a guilty plea on June 7, 2005. According to the evidence presented in court, SAPP was employed by the Internal Revenue Service from 1990 through 2000. During that time, SAPP’s duties caused him to have access to the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System. The Integrated Data Retrieval System is a computer data based system which maintains a record of all individual and business tax returns. From the Integrated Data Retrieval System, SAPP improperly obtained identity information of dependants of actual individual taxpayers. SAPP sold this identity information to associates who then used the information to prepare and file tax returns that claimed fraudulent dependant exemptions. Based upon the fraudulent tax returns, the IRS paid refunds that were not due to the taxpayers. United States Attorney David Nahmias said of the case, “MICHAEL SAPP used his position at the IRS to steal identity information of taxpayers. This office and the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration will aggressively investigate and prosecute IRS employees who abuse the public trust for their own personal gain." The case was investigated by Special Agents of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Barbara E. Nelan prosecuted the case. For further information please contact David E. Nahmias, United States Attorney or Charysse Alexander, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.