IRS adds two Spokane-based agents to fight financial crime

The Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation unit has added two more Spokane-based agents, bringing the total number of such agents here to four, to investigate taxpayers it suspects have committed financial-related crimes in Eastern Washington.

The IRS criminal investigation unit specializes

in "white-collar crimes;' such as tax evasion, money laundering, and drug trafficking, says Bradley Heath, a Tacoma-based supervisory special agent who oversees agents in Tacoma, Spokane, and Vancouver, Wash. Agents work closely with the U.S. Attorney's office on federal investigations, as well as with other government agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency, when it suspects financial crimes might be related to narcotics crimes, Heath says.

Similar to other law enforcement officers, IRS criminal investigation agents carry weapons, serve warrants, and make arrests. They also must have an educational background in accounting and other business-related coursework.

"Our specialty is in analyzing the flow of money," Heath says.

The agents who are based in Spokane cover the Eastern Washington judicial district, which includes 20 counties. Four IRS criminal investigation agents used to be stationed in Spokane, but for the past two years only two have worked here, Heath says. The U.S. Attorney's office here increasingly has been requesting assistance from IRS criminal investigation agents for ongoing federal investigations, he says. Money-related crimes also have been rising, in part because criminals have been using technological advances to their advantage.

"People are thinking of schemes to make money rather than robbing a bank," Heath says. "With the Internet, money flows much more freely and easily now."