Former IRS Worker Charged In Tax Fraud

Lora Lewis, 51, of Philadelphia, PA, a former Internal Revenue Service employee, was charged today by information with one count of filing false income tax returns, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Lewis worked as a contact representative for the IRS in the Philadelphia office.

According to the information, between 2007 and 2011, Lewis was receiving unemployment compensation which she did not report on her income tax returns; claimed tax credits which she was not eligible to claim, such as the first time home buyers credit, the earned income tax credit and the education credit; and deductions, such as IRA contributions that were never made, in order to reduce her taxable income.  Lewis allegedly defrauded the government of $39,000.

If convicted, Lewis faces three years in prison, restitution to the IRS, a fine of up to $250,000, one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

 The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Virgil B. Walker.

Click here to view the indictment

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