Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation

Last updated
Chief, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation
IRS-CI Logo.jpeg
IRS-CI Logo
USA - IRS CID.png
IRS-CI Special Agent Badge
Guy Ficco, IRS-CI Deputy Chief.jpg
Incumbent
Guy Ficco
since April 1, 2024
Internal Revenue Service,
Criminal Investigation
Style Chief
Status Chief executive
Reports toDeputy Commissioner for
Services and Enforcement
Seat Washington, D.C.
AppointerCommissioner of
Internal Revenue
Term length No fixed term
FormationJuly 1, 1919
First holder Elmer Lincoln Irey
DeputyDeputy Chief
Website www.irs.gov/criminalinvestigation

The Chief, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, abbreviated as Chief, IRS-CI or Chief, CI or simply Chief, is the head and chief executive of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the United States' federal law enforcement agency responsible for investigating potential criminal violations of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes. Criminal Investigation is a division of the Internal Revenue Service, which in turn is a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury. The Chief is the highest ranking executive within IRS-CI and reports to the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement of the Internal Revenue Service.

Contents

The Chief is appointed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and oversees a worldwide staff of approximately 3,300 CI employees, including approximately 2,200 special agents who investigate and assist in the prosecution of criminal tax, money laundering, public corruption, cyber, ID theft, narcotics, terrorist-financing and Bank Secrecy Act related crime cases. [1]

The current Chief is Guy Ficco since April 1, 2024. He was the Deputy Chief to former Chief Jim Lee, who retired on March 31, 2024 having served in the position since October 2020. [2] Shortly after the announcement of Lee's retirement, the Internal Revenue Service announced that Ficco would be the new Chief of the agency. [3]

Powers and duties

The powers and duties of the Chief are spelled out in the Internal Revenue Manual, Part 1, Chapter 1, Section 19. [4]

(1) The Chief is responsible for the full range of planning, managing, directing, and executing the worldwide activities of CI. The Chief together with the Deputy Chief, directly supervises the Directors of the HQ offices, as well as the Area Directors, Field Operations.

(2) The Office of the Chief includes the following sections:

(3) The Chief of Staff, together with the Deputy Chief of Staff, manages the Chief and Deputy Chief's official appointments, speaking engagements, calendar items, and duties associated with the selection of senior management personnel. Additionally, the Chief of Staff supervises the Commissioner's Protection Detail which provides daily executive protection to the IRS Commissioner.

(4) Communications and Education plans, coordinates, and produces communications products and tools for CI. Communications and Education provides a wide range of products and services to help achieve communications goals to a variety of audiences; employees, managers, the media, tax, accounting and business professionals, and other external and internal stakeholders. Communications and Education also coordinates field office publicity through the PIOs who are special agents trained in media relations. Communications and Education is also the home to CI's Legislative Liaison who manages and enhances CI's relationship with members of Congress, ensures CI sections are informed of pending legislation affecting their areas, and responds to Congressional inquiries and correspondence.

(5) Equity, Diversity & Inclusion is responsible for identifying trends and issues of an EEO and diversity nature, and potential barriers to equal employment opportunity within CI. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion's responsibilities include educating management and employees on equity, diversity & inclusion, how to resolve complaints and conflict in the workplace, and providing observation on recruitment, outreach, promotion, retention, and leadership initiatives, thereby improving workforce demographics to achieve equal opportunity.

(6) Review and Program Evaluation independently reviews, evaluates, and reports on CI field operations, program areas, and headquarters sections in a fair and objective manner. Review and Program Evaluation identifies risks, emerging issues and best practices which affect CI; assess CI's leadership effectiveness, and ability to manage and mitigate risk; evaluate CI operations to ensure investigative alignment with the Compliance Strategy; and to ensure compliance with established policies and prior TIGTA, GAO, and RPE recommendations.

List of officeholders

The following is a complete list of officeholders from 1919 to present. [5]

PictureNameTermLengthNotes
1 Elmer Lincoln Irey.jpg Elmer Lincoln Irey July 1, 1919 – January 26, 194323 years, 209 daysFirst and longest serving Chief
2 William H. Woolf.jpg William H. WoolfJanuary 26, 1943 – December 31, 19518 years, 339 daysFormer Assistant Chief to Elmer L. Irey
3 Frank Lohn.jpg Frank W. LohnJanuary 20, 1952 – November 25, 1952310 daysTitle changed to Director of the Intelligence Division
4 Garland H. Williams.jpg Garland H. WilliamsJanuary 1, 1953 – August 31, 1953242 daysFormer agent in the Bureau of Narcotics
5 Walter Fleming.jpg A. Walter FlemingDecember 20, 1953 – August 15, 19551 year, 238 daysResigned to become Regional Commissioner in New York
6 Perry August.jpg J. Perry AugustOctober 18, 1955 – June 30, 19593 years, 255 daysFormer Assistant Regional Commissioner (Intelligence) of the Dallas Region
7 H. Alan Long.jpg H. Alan LongJune 30, 1959 – December 31, 19656 years, 184 daysResigned to become District Director in Pittsburgh
8 William Kolar.jpg William A. KolarDecember 31, 1965 – June 13, 19704 years, 164 daysFormer Director of the Internal Security Division
9 Robert K. Lund.jpg Robert K. LundOctober 4, 1970 – June 30, 19721 year, 270 daysFormer Chief in the Los Angeles District
10 John Olszewski.jpg John J. OlszewskiSeptember 3, 1972 – May 9, 19752 years, 248 daysFormer Assistant Regional Commissioner (Intelligence), Midwest Region
11 Thomas J. Clancy.jpg Thomas J. ClancyJuly 6, 1975 – March 20, 19826 years, 257 daysIntelligence Division renamed to Criminal Investigation (CI) during his tenure
12 Richard Wassenaar.jpg Richard C. WassenaarMarch 21, 1982 – December 12, 19864 years, 266 daysFirst officeholder to be titled Assistant Commissioner (Criminal Investigation)
13 Anthony Langone.jpg Anthony V. LangoneFebruary 2, 1987 – April 3, 19881 year, 61 daysFormer Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Criminal Investigation)
14 Bruce Milburn.jpg Bruce V. MilburnMay 8, 1988 – October 20, 19891 year, 165 daysFormer Assistant Regional Commissioner in North Atlantic Region
15 Inar Morics.jpg Inar "Smitty" MoricsDecember 3, 1989 – January 10, 19933 years, 38 daysResigned to become District Director in St. Paul, Minnesota
16 Donald Vogel.jpg Donald K. VogelFebruary 28, 1993 – December 31, 19952 years, 306 daysFormer Assistant Regional Commissioner for Criminal Investigation in Midwest Region
17 Ted Browns.jpg Ted F. BrownMay 28, 1996 – April 11, 19992 years, 318 daysFirst Director of Refund Fraud in 1994
18 Mark E. Matthews.jpg Mark E. MatthewsJanuary 1, 2000 – May 31, 20022 years, 150 daysFirst Chief that was not a Special Agent or Postal Inspector before being named Chief
19 David B. Palmer.jpg David B. PalmerNovember 7, 2002 – January 8, 20041 year, 62 daysFormer Director of Field Operations for the Central Area
20 Nancy Jardini.jpg Nancy JardiniJanuary 9, 2004 – February 25, 20073 years, 47 daysFirst female Chief
21 Eileen Mayer.jpg Eileen MayerFebruary 26, 2007 – January 31, 20091 year, 340 daysFormer prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office
22 Victor Song.jpg Victor SongFebruary 1, 2009 – March 30, 20123 years, 58 daysRetired to serve as Executive Vice President of Compliance for Samsung Electronics America
23 Richard Weber.jpg Richard Weber April 1, 2012 – May 31, 20175 years, 60 daysRecipient of the 2015 Presidential Rank Award
24 Don Fort, IRS-CI Chief.jpg Don FortJune 1, 2017 – September 30, 20203 years, 121 daysChief during the agency's 100th anniversary
25 Jim Lee, IRS-CI Chief.jpg Jim LeeOctober 1, 2020 – March 31, 20243 years, 182 daysFormer Deputy Chief and Director of Field Operations
26 Guy Ficco, IRS-CI Deputy Chief.jpg Guy FiccoApril 1, 2024 – Present4 daysFormer Deputy Chief and Executive Director of Global Operations, Policy and Support

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References

  1. "Criminal Investigation • Internal Revenue Service". Internal Revenue Service. 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. "IRS Names Guy Ficco As New Chief Of Criminal Investigation". IRS. March 13, 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. "IRS names Guy Ficco new Criminal Investigation chief". IRS. March 13, 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  4. "1.1.19 Criminal Investigation". IRS.
  5. United States. Internal Revenue Service. 75 Years of IRS Criminal Investigation History, 1919-1994. Rev. 2-96. [Washington, D.C.?]: Dept. of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, 1996.