IRS HARASSMENT, TIGTA COVER-UP, FBI COVER-UP
WITH KNOWLEDGE OF SECRETARIES OF TREASURY AND
JUSTICE DEPARTMENTS AND PRESIDENT OBAMA

June 2013

I am Don Signer of Fremont, California.  In the following I will summarize my horror story of IRS harassment that was followed by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and FBI cover-ups in 2010-2012 – a story that should send chills up the spines of U. S. taxpayers.  Motive for the cover-ups clearly appeared to be to prevent political damage to President Obama’s reelection campaign as it related to the controversial TARP bailout of General Motors.  My experience is similar to events prompting Congressional hearings in May and June 2013 regarding IRS targeting of conservative organizations, Benghazi cover-up, and obtaining of journalist phone records.  However, a major difference is that I have names of nearly all involved (26 in the TIGTA actions alone,) and proof that my letter alleging IRS harassment and Treasury Department cover-up was sent to President Obama and delivered to the White House on September 19, 2011.  The letter and delivery confirmation may be viewed here.  I have proof of notification of other top officials as well.

The IRS harassment and cover-up events include the following:

  •  IRS audits:
    • One on my General Motors dealership corporation, one on my personal return in separate years.  Both were first ever.
    • A clear motive for harassment and financial damage emerged in both audits:  the IRS had conspired with General Motors to assist the automaker in achieving a business plan (unrelated to GM’s bankruptcy.)
    • IRS revenue agents in two cases ruled in my favor, but were overridden without supporting fact or law.  Evidence exists of manipulation from above agent and manager level.
  • Treasury Department cover-up of IRS harassment:
    • June 2010: I sent a well-documented report of IRS harassment and its illicit motive to TIGTA, the Treasury Department’s fraud investigation office.
    • April 2011: TIGTA responded to Congressman Stark’s and Senator Boxer’s inquiries that it “found no evidence” to support my allegations.
    • June 2011: After a year of TIGTA gamesmanship and three FOIA requests, I obtained TIGTA file documents, some with false statements, painting a clear picture of a TIGTA cover-up.  Documentss state TIGTA did not investigate, thus explaining “found no evidence.”
    • Twenty-six TIGTA and IRS employees were connected in some way with TIGTA’s actions in 2010-2011, with more than half appearing to have participated in the cover-up, although not necessarily willingly.  The names of involved employees appear in other sections of donsigner.com.
    •  TIGTA did not deny my allegations of IRS harassment.
  • FBI cover-up of Treasury Department cover-up (and IRS harassment):
    • September 2011 I sent a report of TIGTA cover-up to the FBI.  Report included TIGTA documents that on their faces alone clearly revealed a cover-up and who was involved, leaving the FBI with only the task of determining who ordered it.
    • After months of gamesmanship by the FBI, in March 2012 the FBI responded to Congressman Stark’s and Senator Boxer’s inquiries, stating that I had provided insufficient information, despite indisputable documentation of cover-up.
    • The FBI did not deny my allegations of a TIGTA cover-up.
  • Knowledge of IRS harassment and cover-ups by top U. S. Government officials (U. S. P. S. delivery confirmation received for all):
    • In August and September 2011, I sent letters describing the seemingly politically motivated TIGTA cover-up of the IRS harassment to the following officials:
      • TIGTA J. Russell George (delivered 8/9/11 and 9/19/11)
      • Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (delivered 8/29/11)
      • President Barack Obama (delivered 9/19/11)
    • In January 2012, I sent letters describing the FBI’s inaction on my report of the TIGTA cover-up to the following officials:
      • FBI Director Robert Mueller (delivered 1/30/12)
      • U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder (copy of letter to Mueller, delivered 1/25/12)
      • President Barack Obama (no January 2012 letter, but aforementioned letter delivered 9/19/11 included my statement that I had reported the TIGTA cover-up to the FBI)

Among other General Motors (GM) acts of harassment, the IRS audits were performed in 2005 and 2007-2008 while GM was attempting to induce me to sell my franchises to it for its desired factory takeover of local dealerships; a goal it set in 1997.  As GM’s multiple acts of harassment failed to induce me to give up the hard-earned business I built from scratch in 1980, GM took my franchises under the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry’s TARP bailout of GM in 2009.  A background summary appears on the Home Page of donsigner.com.  Although the TARP bailout, GM/Treasury Department confiscation of my franchises, and resulting ending of my business was another unconscionable event, it was not related to the IRS/TIGTA/FBI events.  However, it was important to President Obama’s reelection campaign that GM be kept in the best light; exposure of the widespread corruption I documented involving the IRS, GM, TIGTA, and the FBI would have caused just the opposite.  in his 2012 reelection campaign, President Obama actively promoted the “success” of his administration’s GM bailout:

               “Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.” 


Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is an office within the Treasury Department that is charged with the responsibility to monitor fraud, waste, and abuse in the IRS.  As TIGTA is separate from the IRS, and reports directly to the Secretary of the Treasury, it is effectively the Treasury Department’s moral authority protecting the interests of American taxpayers.  Among TIGTA’s duties is the investigation of criminal allegations, including harassment, which was the basis of my complaint.

Of the multiple May 2013 U. S. Government scandals, one of the subjects being investigated is the IRS’s targeting and harassment of conservative organizations, and the cover-up thereof, prior to the 2012 presidential election.  Leading the investigation is Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George, who is pictured below on the left.  He is with Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller when testifying before Congress on May 17, 2013.  Mr. George has since testified alongside other IRS officials, as well as about the way his office has handled the investigation of the conservative organization targeting issue.

This May 23, 2013 article describes frustration expressed by Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, about Mr. George’s withholding of his knowledge of the IRS’s conservative group targeting in an election year.  Mr. Issa is quoted as saying, “That, in fact, is perhaps the greatest failing of an otherwise well-regarded  inspector.”  In an August 5, 2011 letter I sent to Mr. George revealing my discovery of the TIGTA cover-up, I expressed sentiments similar to Mr. Issa’s.  My statement may be viewed here, and a link to the full letter may be found below.  The Oversight Committee does not yet have proof of a TIGTA cover-up; I do. 

Congress, on behalf of the American people, is entrusting the investigation of alleged IRS wrongdoing to Mr. George.  In light of my experiences with TIGTA, Congress should have serious concerns about the office’s credibility.  TIGTA’s actions and suspected motives described in the May 23 article are consistent with my experience, and thus appear to be a pattern: if the anticipated results of an investigation would reflect negatively on President Obama, the investigation will be thwarted.  In mid-June 2013, the Congressional Oversight Committee questioned FBI Director Mueller about the progress of his agency’s investigation into the IRS targeting issue.  He was unable to even name the person assigned to that task, clearly implying that the FBI is doing its part in the investigation avoidance strategy – as it did with me. 

The tip of an ugly iceberg

I urge Congress to view my account of events not as an isolated case of one person, but as possibly the tip of an ugly iceberg of IRS harassment and government cover-up, the vast majority of which goes unchallenged or unreported.  It would seem that the vast majority of taxpayers who feel they may have been harassed in some way just accept the abuse because it is too time-consuming, expensive, or stressful to pursue.  In an extreme twist of irony, it is only due to the fact that I have been unemployed since 2009 when the GM/TARP bailout put me out of business, thus providing me the time to investigate and prove the government corruption that I believe should result in criminal prosecution.  It is very important that, on behalf of the American people, prosecutors take advantage of this rare opportunity of indisputable documented proof of wrongdoing with the knowledge of top officials, which was exposed as a result of my more than two years of investigation and reporting.  Questioning of the IRS employees involved in my audits, and the twenty-six people I have identified to in some way be connected with TIGTA’s actions on my complaint, would undoubtedly lead to the identity of who directed the IRS audits and TIGTA cover-up.  As many of those involved created documents with false statements, which are seemingly criminal actions,  they would presumably be more than willing to reveal who instructed them to do so.


Chronological summary

While the history of GM’s and the IRS’s actions with me is long and complicated, here I will focus on the cover-ups committed by TIGTA and the FBI in 2010-2012, beginning with the IRS audits.  Details on the following may be found in links in the right column of donsigner.com, which are also included in links included in text below.  Briefly summarized, the case involves the following:

  • 2005 IRS audit: In 2005, IRS audited the 2003 tax return of my corporation, a General Motors dealership: its first ever audit.  The IRS revenue agent conducted an extensive examination of dealership records, but found nothing other than what I believe he was sent in for as a result of GM’s contact to the IRS.  He zeroed in on and disallowed an expense deduction known to, and approved by, GM.  However, as GM most likely didn’t anticipate, this disallowance in turn created another, more favorable, deduction that resulted in a net benefit for me.  As anyone would do, I accepted the audit result and took the benefit.  Details may be viewed here:  (2005) First IRS Audit.
  • 2007-2008 IRS audit: In 2008, the IRS audited my 2005 personal tax return: my first ever audit.  After reviewing a targeted deduction on my return that had been assigned to him, the IRS agent wished to accept the return as filed with no changes.  After he communicated his decision to his manager, the manager instructed him to disallow that deduction, which left the agent with the necessity to craft something to support his manager’s edict.  Even if GM hadn’t initiated this audit, this unsupported override would be unconscionable.  The Agent reluctantly complied and created a conclusion that assessed me $111,488 tax with interest.  Details may be viewed here:  (2007-2008) Second IRS Audit.
  • 2005-2009 multiple clues of GM/IRS collusion: Multiple clues gave me strong suspicion that GM had initiated the audits as two of many acts of harassment to induce me, against my will, to sell my franchises back to GM for the factory takeover of dealerships in my local market that it had desired since 1998.  In 2009, through the Freedom of Information Act I obtained both IRS audit files, which provided information that, in my mind, removed all doubt of a GM/IRS conspiracy in the two audits.
  • 2009-2010 refund of improper 2008 tax assessment:  In April 2009 I filed a 2005 Form 1040X contesting the improper 2008 tax assessment for the 2005 tax year, and requested a refund.  In July 2010, after 5 months of research, the IRS Agent reviewing my request wrote a 10-page conclusion in my favor, of which I have displayed a copy on donsigner.com in the Expanded Details account of my refund claim.  At the same time, a new Acting Manager was mysteriously placed over the Agent, and instructed the agent to reverse the favorable conclusion in order to rule against me, and to do further research to find something to support his edict.  The agent had no choice but to reluctantly comply and rewrite the conclusion.  (This is a separate, although very similar, suspicious override as occurred in 2008.)  In October 2010, after a long and grueling process and relentless persistence on my part, the IRS finally admitted it was wrong and refunded me $121,639 with interest.  Overwhelming clues would convince me that the new Acting Manager had been fraudulently put in place as a result of my June 21, 2010 report to TIGTA, which is described below.  The bizarre action, which appears to be part of a scheme TIGTA developed to make my complaint go away, is explained elsewhere on donsigner.com.  2008 audit and refund details may be viewed here:  (2009a-2011) IRS Admits 2008 Audit Tax Was Wrong, Refunds Signer $121,639 With Interest.   
  • 2009 GM/Treasury Department take my franchises: After GM’s multiple acts of harassment failed to induce me to sell, GM put me out of business by taking my Buick and Cadillac franchises in 2009 in conjunction with the Treasury Department’s TARP bailout – unrelated to the IRS audits.  It then gave my franchises to its factory-controlled dealer next door as it had planned for many years.  A summary of the GM/Treasury actions may be viewed on the Home Page of donsigner.com.
  • 2009-2011 other negative ramifications of IRS audits: As a result of the IRS notifying the State of California of the $111,488 tax with interest it assessed me in 2008, in June 2009 the State assessed me additional tax of approximately $34,000 for the 2005 year.  My CPA explained to representatives that in April 2009 I had filed an amended return protesting that assessment, and it was pending.  The State held off on any action until January 2010 when it put a lien on my residence.  My contact and explanation to the State were unsuccessful in having the lien removed.  Details may be viewed here:  2009b-2011) California Assesses $34,000 Tax & Interest Based On IRS Audit, Then Reverses.  Additionally, in August 2009 I filed a 2008 Form 1045, which is a loss carryback to prior years that would generate a refund of tax previously paid.  IRS guidelines are that the taxpayer should be paid within 45 days of filing the form.  In my case, that payment was withheld, apparently due to the pending 2005 Form 1040X refund claim.  I did not receive that refund until June 2011, nearly two years late and after I had finally received the refund for the Form 1040X – and with no interest paid.  Details may be viewed here:  (2009b-2011) California Assesses $34,000 Tax & Interest Based On IRS Audit, Then Reverses.
  • 2010 report to TIGTA of GM/IRS collusion: I put together a 20-page detailed report of GM/IRS collusion to harass and financially damage me in 2005 and 2007-2008.  The report, which contained 30 supporting documents including from the IRS audit files, left no reasonable doubt that my allegations were accurate.  On June 21, 2010, I submitted the report to TIGTA.  In the months that followed, TIGTA delayed doing anything until, under pressure from my Congressman in November, it in December 2010 led me to believe that it was conducting an investigation.  In April 2011, TIGTA sent letters to two Members of Congress who had inquired on my behalf.  The letters clearly implied that TIGTA had investigated my complaint (using the word “reviewed”) and found no evidence of GM/IRS conspiracy.  In June 2011, after two Freedom of Information Act requests and an appeal, I received previously withheld TIGTA file documents that clearly stated that TIGTA did not investigate.  Multiple clues, including file documents with false statements by several TIGTA and IRS employees, indisputably proved a cover-up.  Thus, TIGTA had effectively lied to Congress in its April letters.  The fact that TIGTA conducted a cover-up in itself confirms that my IRS harassment allegations were correct – otherwise there would be nothing to cover up.  Details of my report to TIGTA may be viewed here: (2010) Signer Reports Alleged GM/IRS Collusion to U. S. Treasury.  Details of the TIGTA cover-up that followed, as well as links to TIGTA file documents, may be viewed here:  (2010-2011) U. S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Office Commits Cover-Up of Signer Allegations.
  • 2011 letters to top officials informing them of TIGTA cover-up: In August and September 2011, I sent certified letters to Inspector General J. Russell George, Treasury Secretary Geithner, and President Obama informing them of what I believed to be a fraudulent cover-up by TIGTA.  None responded.  Links to these letters appear below.
  • 2011-2012 report of TIGTA cover-up to FBI: After Treasury Department fraud department TIGTA itself committed fraud, in September 2011 I reported the cover-up to the FBI who placed the report with its White Collar Crime Division that is responsible for investigating government corruption.   I followed up for months, but was unable to obtain any confirmation of investigation.
  • 2011-2012 letters to top FBI officials requesting FBI investigation of TIGTA cover-up: By December 2011, I determined that the FBI had done nothing.  In December 2011, I wrote a letter to the San Francisco FBI Special Agent in Charge requesting that the TIGTA cover-up be investigated.  After receiving no response, in January 2012 I sent certified letters to FBI Director Robert Mueller and U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting an investigation.  Neither responded.  (In my aforementioned September 2011 letter to President Obama regarding the TIGTA cover-up, I also informed him that I had reported it to the FBI.)  In January 2012, Congressman Stark and Senator Boxer wrote letters to the FBI on my behalf.  In March 2012 the FBI responded to both of them that I had not provided enough information to prompt an investigation.  This statement is appalling as, at face value alone, the TIGTA file documents I provided indisputably proved a cover-up, leaving the FBI only to determine who gave the orders.


Sample documents revealing TIGTA cover-up:

I have selected a few sample documents from the TIGTA file, which I obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA.).  I focus on ones that are easiest to understand without knowing the background and regulations that apply.  There are many more documents and considerably more evidence of cover-up in the Expanded Details account of the TIGTA cover-up.

It took me two FOIA requests, plus an appeal, over a period of four months in 2011 to obtain the following documents, and there are still many missing.  The first request, dated February 9, 2011, asked for all documents.  In each production, multiple documents were withheld, and it was not until after the third request, which was an appeal, that any meaningful information was released.  The final FOIA production that I received after appeal contained a cover letter that summarizes the unbelievably evasive sequence of production.  The dates and number of documents I received each time are as follows:  3/9/11 (50 released, 18 withheld); 4/12/11 (120 released, 5 withheld); and 6/8/33 (13 released, 9 withheld).  And, there are still many documents that TIGTA admits it didn’t release to me; either 9 or 32 based on the appeal document production letter.  Additionally, there were 97 documents I submitted that mysteriously weren’t in the file.

Since the previously withheld or redacted documents released after appeal clearly describe a cover-up, and contain documents with seemingly criminal false statements from multiple employees, one must ask how incriminating are the withheld documents?  It very well could be that the remaining documents may reveal the name(s) of the person(s) directing the cover-up.  It is quite apparent that the redaction and withholding of documents were part of the cover-up scheme.

Following are some of the TIGTA file documents, viewable by clicking on the blue links, that map a clear path to cover-up:

  • False date stamp on cover letter:  My 20-page June 21, 2010 complaint letter was in the file, along with a 3-page cover letter date stamped “Received JUL 15 2010,” with the letters “CMT” (Complaint Management Team.)  TIGTA actually received the letter on June 25, as shown on the U. S. Postal Service delivery confirmation included with the letter in the link.  Based on factors discussed elsewhere on donsigner.com, it is my belief that the 20-day gap between June 25 and July 15 was used for TIGTA to develop a scheme to cover up my complaint and make it go away.  I believe that one element of TIGTA’s scheme was to change the date stamp on my letter it to make it appear that the aforementioned IRS acting manager substitution had been made before the letter had been read.  Evidence of the date alteration appears in the Expanded Details.
  • False classification of complaint and false redaction of information: The very first internal document chronologically was the “Complaint Information” dated 7/16/10.  There are two pages in the link: the first is from the final FOIA release after appeal, and the second is the redacted version I received in the first FOIA response.  The new information was originally improperly concealed because of (b)(7)(c), “invasion of privacy.”  In truth, there is nothing private about it – it is simply incriminating information TIGTA didn’t want me to see.  The newly revealed information shows TIGTA’s referral of the complaint to the IRS.  It also shows the following: “Reason For No Inv(estigation): 11 – PERSONAL/BUSINESS TAX ISSUE,” and “Violation Profile: 9 – NON-CRIMINAL.”  Both of these statements are, of course, false, as I made it clearly known that my complaint was one of harassment, which is a criminal act that is the responsibility of TIGTA by regulation.  In fact, at the bottom of the “SUBJECT INFORMATION” is the “Complaint Narrative” summarized in TIGTA’s own words that clearly describes my complaint as one of harassment, mentions nothing of a tax issue, and thus totally discredits the statements on the same form.  The form also show that the case was referred to the IRS, which was an act in violation of IRS regulation.  This regulation, which requires that TIGTA (not the IRS) investigates harassment allegations, is discussed in the Expanded Details.
  • IRS Territory Manager’s return of my complaint to TIGTA: On September 14, 2010, I received a call from IRS Territory Manager Alonzo Bennett, who told me he had been assigned my case and had read my complaint.  He apologized profusely for the IRS’s actions, and said that in his 28 years with the IRS, 20 of which had been in management, he had never seen anything like it.  He told me he would request additional manpower to assist in the investigation.  A week later, he called me to tell me he had been taken off the case.  The case was then assigned to IRS Territory Manager Mark Jaramillo.  After reading my complaint, Mr. Jaramillo immediately and rightfully determined that the investigation is TIGTA’s responsibility, as he knew the complaint was not a tax issue as TIGTA had attempted to categorize it.  On 10/22/10 he returned the “Complaint Referral Memorandum” (document also not received until the appeal) to the IRS Employee Conduct and Compliance Office, who in turn e-mailed it to TIGTA on 10/25.  Mr. Jaramillo’s return of the complaint to TIGTA seemingly derailed TIGTA’s scheme to pass the complaint off as a simple tax dispute.  As TIGTA had effectively been caught in its improper referral to the IRS, it appears that it had no choice but to honor Mr. Jaramillo’s proper assessment.
  • TIGTA Special Agent contact and December 8 e-mail: As a result of Mr. Jaramillo’s catching TIGTA’s improper action, and subsequent e-mails from me and letters from Congressman Stark, TIGTA was backed into a corner and had to take action.  As should have been done back in June, TIGTA assigned the investigation to Special Agent Kris Pasquale, who called me on December 1, 2010 to interview me about the case.  He opened by saying that his office handles “high-level” cases.  In the conversation I learned that, shockingly, TIGTA had not furnished him with my detailed June 21 complaint and supporting documents.  I told him I would e-mail them to him, to which he replied that he would read them and then call me on December 6.  Mr. Pasquale called me on December 6 as promised and shown in this Memorandum of Interview, placed me under oath, and then confirmed that he had read the documents I had sent him.  As we concluded, I asked him when I would hear from him again, to which he replied that I wouldn’t unless he files criminal charges, at which time he would contact me for testimony.  I told him to feel free to contact me at any time with any questions he might have.  On December 7, I e-mailed Mr. Pasquale a GM employee “persons of interest” list (conspiring with the IRS.)  On December 8, Mr. Pasquale e-mailed me a reply to my December 7 e-mail stating, “I truly appreciate the effort you put into providing me the information below.  If I have further, follow-up questions for you, I appreciate you being willing to be available for re-contact.”  The conversation with Mr. Pasquale and confirming e-mail gave me comfort that finally, more than five months after my June 21 complaint letter, a proper criminal investigation would take place.
  • TIGTA removes case from Mr. Pasquale on December 9: The December 8 e-mail would turn out to be the last I ever heard from Mr. Pasquale.  I would learn in June 2011 from the third FOIA production that he had been abruptly removed from the case the next day.  Among the documents was this Complaint Information with a status date of December 9, 2010 documenting the plan to once again (improperly) return the complaint to the IRS.  For comparison, the link contains this new status report, as well as the July 16 status report discussed above.  All the information is identical in the two reports, other than the assignees and dates, which I have circled.  Thus, this new document is packed with the same lies about the nature of the case, and sets the case up to be referred back to the IRS as TIGTA had initially fraudulently done in July.  Like the July 16 report, the first version of the December 9 report I received was mostly redacted.  Also in the third FOIA production was this previously withheld “TIGTA – CHRONOLOGICAL CASE WORKSHEET.”  Page two shows the case coming back to TIGTA on 10/27/10 (from Mark Jaramillo at the IRS as discussed above,) assigned on 11/24/10 (to Kris Pasquale,) various activities by Mr. Pasquale from 12/1 to 12/8, then no further activity thereafter.  In the Expanded details are other documents in this time frame containing false statements.  I wish to make it clear that all evidence points to the fact that Mr. Pasquale was operating in good faith when he communicated with me, and fully expected to conduct a full criminal investigation.  Once TIGTA had firmly planted the belief of an investigation in my mind through Mr. Pasquale’s actions with me, on 12/9 the case was removed from Mr. Pasquale and then immediately, once again, improperly whisked back to the IRS Employee Conduct and Compliance Office ECCO for quiet final burial.  As Mr. Jaramillo had derailed TIGTA’s cover-up Plan A, TIGTA made Mr. Pasquale the unwitting decoy of its cover-up Plan B.
  • IRS closes case out with yet more lies:  On February 28, 2011, the aforementioned December 13, 2010 Complaint Referral Memorandum wrongly referring the case to the IRS was closed out without action.  Handwritten in box 18 is the following, “Closed without action.  The TIGTA found insufficient info to open an investigation.  The taxpayer makes a vague allegation of collusion.  No employee misconduct alleged.”  The form was signed by Belinda J. Mattos, EIB Analyst.  EIB is the Employee Issues Branch of the Employee Conduct and Compliance Office (ECCO) of the IRS.  This document had been withheld until the final FOIA production after appeal.  Also on February 28, Ms. Mattos completed this EIU Report of Inquiry.  Belinda Mattos again states that the complaint was closed without action.  Document states, “The taxpayer alleged the IRS colluded with GM to put his car dealership out of business.  He bases these allegations on what he sees as coincidences.  The taxpayer did not present any concrete incidents or allegations.  Closing this complaint without action at this time.”  In response to Mr. Mattos’s false and offensive statements, I provided as much, if not more, documented clues to collusion and people involved than is normally available to juries who convict murderers.  It is interesting that the above comments were made after Alonzo Bennett’s passionate apology and pledge to investigate what he has never seen in his 28 years with the IRS, Mark Jaramillo’s assessment that the source of the harassment came from above his pay grade, and Kris Pasquale’s implication of potential criminal prosecution.  It appears that in Ms. Mattos, TIGTA, through the IRS, finally found somebody who would participate in the cover-up to close out the case.  Any reasonable person who reads my complaint would undoubtedly agree that Ms. Mattos’s statements lack any credibility whatsoever.
  • TIGTA letters to Congressman Stark and Senator Boxer:  In August and September 2010, Congressman Pete Stark and Senator Barbara Boxer sent inquiries to the Treasury Department based on copies of my June 21, 2010 letter that I had furnished them.  On April 27, 2011, TIGTA Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Timothy Camus sent letters to both Members of Congress in response to their inquiries.  The letters, which the legislators forwarded to me in May, appear here: Congressman Stark;  Senator Boxer.  I received no response from TIGTA.  Each letter contained the following statement: “We have concluded our review of your constituent’s allegations and have determined they are unsubstantiated.  We found no evidence that IRS and GM officials conspired to harass Mr. Signer by auditing his tax returns.  The inquiry revealed that Mr. Signer’s tax returns were examined because of legitimate IRS business reasons.  The letters’ deceptively worded statements clearly makes it appear that an investigation was conducted.  When I received the letters, I had not yet received the unredacted and previously withheld TIGTA FOIA documents that indisputably revealed that there was no investigation.  When I received the third production of documents in mid-June, it became apparent that the letters to the Members of Congress were, for all intents and purposes, lies.  In reality, TIGTA “found no evidence” because I had already given it to them – and it was overwhelming.  The term “We have concluded our review of your constituent’s allegations…” thus means no more than, “We read his letter.”  The clever use of the misleading, in this case, word “review” is despicable.  Mr. Camus is Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, not reviews.


Report of TIGTA cover-up to FBI

After the Treasury Department’s fraud office itself committed fraud, I reported the TIGTA cover-up to the FBI.  One of the FBI’s responsibilities is to investigate government corruption, which clearly defines the TIGTA cover-up.  The FBI’s response to my report of government corruption was very similar to the TIGTA’s response to my report of IRS harassment.

Following is a summary of my efforts to initiate an FBI investigation of the TIGTA cover-up of GM/IRS conspired harassment:

  • September 1, 2011: I called the FBI in Palo Alto, where I was connected to an Agent to whom I summarized the history.  I referred him to donsigner.com, which contained the details and supporting documents.  He accessed my website as we spoke.  As he learned the magnitude of the saga, he remarked, “This could be a career story for a national investigative reporter.”  As we concluded the conversation, the Agent said he would read further on my website, and then contact the FBI’s White-Collar Crime Division.
  • September 14, 2011: As the only record of my complaint to the FBI was the telephone conversations with the Palo Alto agent, I prepared a written summary of TIGTA’s actions with supporting documents, and then took them to the San Jose FBI office on September 14.  I informed the Duty Agent that I had reported the issue on September 1, and that I had brought the printed documents to the office as a formal record.  The Agent asked questions about the history, but refused to accept the package I had prepared.  After my further attempts to persuade the Agent to take my information, he finally agreed to accept the short introductory cover letter, which may be viewed here, but not my detailed account of TIGTA’s actions or supporting documents that clearly proved a cover-up.
  • November 18, 2011:  After hearing nothing further from the FBI, on November 18 I again visited the San Jose FBI office.  I asked the Duty Agent (a different person than I had talked to in the past) the status of my report.  His response was vague, but did not indicate that any action had been taken.  I handed him the package of documents that the September 14 Duty Agent had rejected.  He asked me the logical question of why he wouldn’t take them, to which I responded that I didn’t know.  He told me that he would read the package, and then call me the following week.  The package of documents I furnished the Duty Agent consisted of a summary of events, which may be viewed here, and 26 supporting documents.  The supporting documents in the package I furnished are contained in the (2010-2011) TIGTA section of donsigner.com.
  • November 23 – December 1, 2011: After not hearing from the Duty Agent who had promised to call me, I left a voice mail on November 23, then three more ending on December 1.
  • December 8, 2011:  After still hearing nothing from the Duty Agent I had left voice mails for, it was obvious that I never would hear.  On December 8, 2011, I sent a letter to San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Douglas explaining my unsuccessful attempts at obtaining the status, and seeking a response from her or a subordinate.  The letter to Ms. Douglas, as well as certified mail delivery confirmation, may be viewed here.  The San Francisco FBI office is responsible for other Bay Area FBI offices, including San Jose.  I furnished copies of the December 8 letter to Congressman Stark and Senator Boxer, both of whom had written letters on my behalf to TIGTA in the past.
  • December 13 & 16, 2011:  I sent letters to Congressman Stark and Senator Boxer requesting their assistance in prompting an FBI investigation into the TIGTA cover-up of the IRS harassment, and attached the December 8 letter I had sent to Ms. Douglas.  My December 13 letter to Mr. Stark may be viewed here, and my December 16 letter to Senator Boxer may be viewed here.
  • January 19, 2012:  I received no response from my December 8 letter to Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Davis, nor subsequent letters to Congressman Stark and Senator Boxer.  As such, on January 19, 2012, I wrote to FBI Director Robert Mueller requesting his intervention to assure an investigation, with a copies to multiple other recipients including U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Congressman Stark, and Senator Boxer.  The January 19, 2012, letter to Mr. Mueller with copy to Attorney General Holder, along with certified mail delivery confirmations for each, may be viewed here.  Receipt of the letter to Mr. Mueller was signed for by R. Stuart, and to Mr. Holder by A. Prandy.
  • January 20, 2012:  On approximately January 26, 2012, I received a letter from Congressman Stark dated January 20.  In the letter to me Mr. Stark stated that he had sent a letter to the FBI on my behalf.  This letter from Congressman Stark may be viewed here.
  • January 23, 2012:  I received a copy of a letter dated January 23 from Eric Jose Vizcaino, Senator Boxer’s Director of Constituent Services, to Stephen Kelly, Assistant Director of Congressional Affairs, Federal Bureau of Investigation.  As with Mr. Stark, on January 20, I had e-mailed to Mr. Vizcaino a copy of my letter to Mr. Mueller.  In his letter, Mr. Vizcaino requested that the FBI review and consider my case.  Mr. Vizcaino’s letter may be viewed here.
  • February 13, 2012:  I again visited the San Jose FBI office.  I identified myself to the receptionist and explained that I wish to get an update on the status of my case.  The receptionist pulled my file and then called the agent who I talked to in November, who responded to her that he couldn’t come out now.  She indicated that the case was still pending, and hadn’t been assigned yet.  She asked if my phone numbers listed are still good.  I told her the November agent assured me he would call, then didn’t.  At this point, nearly six months had passed since I reported it on September 1, 2011.
  • February 17, 2012:  I called the San Jose FBI office and explained to the receptionist that I hadn’t heard from a Duty Agent as another receptionist had told me I would on February 13.  I also informed her that my Congressman and Senator had sent inquiries in late January.  She confirmed my phone number and said she would e-mail the Agent, as she hadn’t seen him that day.
  • March 27, 2012:  Congressman Stark forwarded to me a March 13, 1012 letter he had received from Kevin L. Perkins, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigations Division of the FBI.  Mr. Perkins’ letter responded to Mr. Stark’s January 20 letter on my behalf, and states in part, “Based on a review of the information your constituent provided, we are unable to determine if such a violation exists.”  This shocking statement is despite the fact that the documents I furnished painted a clear picture of a cover-up and contained clearly false statements.  The letter goes on to say that I should furnish any such information to the San Jose FBI office.  The letters may be viewed here.
  • April 2, 2012:  After receiving the letter from Mr. Perkins described above on March 31, I again called the San Jose FBI office.  I explained to the receptionist that I was calling as instructed by Mr. Perkins’ response to Congressman Stark.  She pulled my file, asked my phone number, then told me somebody would call me.  I explained to her that I had been promised that many times before, but it never happened.  She assured me that somebody would call.  This time, somebody (unidentified) actually did call me just before 5:00 that same day.  I briefly explained the reason for the call, to which he responded that I need to call the TIGTA Internal Affairs Division (IAD.)  I then explained to him that it was TIGTA and its IAD that committed the cover-up the FBI should be investigating, and I believed that direction for, or approval of, the cover-up came from at least the top of the Treasury Department, or President Obama, for political reasons.  I asked the Agent if he had read the report I furnished the FBI, to which he replied that he hadn’t.  I asked if he knew about the letters from Congressman Stark and the FBI’s Mr. Perkins, to which he said that he didn’t.  I told him I would fax the letters, to which he replied that he would read them and call me the next day.
  • April 3, 2012:  The Agent called me on April 3 and confirmed receipt of my fax the day before.  He said he had a message into the Treasury Department, but hadn’t heard back.  In the conversation I mentioned that I had talked to somebody at the TIGTA IAD.  He asked who, to which I replied that it was Kris Pasquale.  I gave the Agent Mr. Pasquale’s phone number, and he said he would call him.  I asked him if he had read the report I furnished the FBI, to which he replied that he hadn’t.
  • April 5, 2012:  The Agent again called me on April 5 and told me that he verified that Kris Pasquale was with the IAD (which I had already told him,) but he didn’t call him.  He said he could give me the IAD’s number, to which I replied that I had it, and reminded him that TIGTA’s and its IAD had committed the cover-up and should be the target of an FBI investigation.  In the conversation I mentioned about the “1203 violation” box being falsely checked “No,” to which he replied that it could have been an error.  (It was done in two documents by two different people.)  He said he would close out my file once again.  He said I should feel fortunate that the FBI had reviewed my file four times.  I told him I would fax another letter to him, which was the October 27 letter from TIGTA’s Joseph Hungate to Congressman Stark.  Later that day, I faxed the Agent that letter along with two others that appear elsewhere on donsigner.com, as well as my final commentary about that appalling nature of the actions of TIGTA and the FBI.  My memo, in part, addressed his comment about the “1203 violation” box check possibly being an error.  The cover memo of that fax may be viewed here.
  • April 10, 2012:  Senator Boxer representative Kathleen Brennan forwarded to me a copy of a March 13, 2012 letter Senator Boxer had received from the aforementioned Kevin Perkins.  The content of Mr. Perkins’ letter was identical to that sent to Congressman Stark.  The letters may be viewed here.

Details of the FBI actions may be viewed here: (2011-2012) Signer Reports TIGTA Cover-Up to FBI; FBI Rejects in Another Apparent Cover-up.


Certified letters to top U. S. Government officials

In contrast to the three May 2013 scandals, in my case all top government officials knew of the IRS harassment and TIGTA cover-up in 2011 or 2012, the same time frame as the three other scandals, as evidenced by my letters and certified mail delivery confirmations.  Based on those confirmations, following are the dates the following officials were informed of the IRS harassment and TIGTA cover-up.  Click on blue links to view the letters, all of which are followed by U. S. Postal Service delivery confirmations.  Please note that these documents might possibly open in the same window.  If that occurs, the back button should be used to return to this page in order to prevent having to log back in.  The following dates and times are in chronological order of the times delivered.

  1. August 9, 2011, 1:32 PM: Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George (also confirmed by TIGTA Communication Director Karen Kraushaar e-mail reading confirmation August 5, 2:25 PM Pacific Time, and TIGTA Sr. Advisor and Congressional Liason Judy Grady e-mail confirmation to me August 9, 10:08 AM)
  2. August 9, 2011, 1:32 PM: TIGTA Principal Deputy Inspector General Joseph Hungate  (Letter is addressed to J. Russell George, with copy to Mr. Hungate.  Delivery confirmations for both officials appear in the last two pages of the document.)
  3. August 29, 2011, 7:14 AM: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
  4. September 19, 2011, 7:22 AM: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (Letter is addressed to President Obama, with copy to Mr. Geithner.)
  5. September 19, 2011, 12:48 PM: Second letter to Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George (also confirmed by e-mail reading by Mr. George September 9, 2011, 2:40 PM Pacific Time.  E-mail confirmation follows the certified letter.)
  6. September 19, 2011, 2:58 PM: President Barack Obama
  7. December 12, 2011, 1:09 PM: FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Douglas
  8. January 25, 2012, 11:07 AM: U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder  (Letter is addressed to Robert Mueller, with copy to Mr. Holder.  Delivery confirmations for both officials appear in the last four pages of the document.)
  9. January 30, 2012, 5:22 AM: FBI Director Robert Mueller, III


Action plan

Following is action I believe should be taken:

  1. Investigate and prosecute those who directed the IRS audits, and whoever at GM was involved.
  2. Investigate and prosecute those at TIGTA who documented false statements in the cover-up, others who participated in the cover-up, and top government officials who knew about or directed the cover-up.  My certified mail delivery confirmations prove that all at the top of TIGTA, the Treasury Department, and President Obama, were informed of it.  A list of twenty-six TIGTA and IRS employees identified to have been in some way connected with TIGTA’s actions may be viewed here.
  3. Investigate why the FBI did not investigate the TIGTA cover-up of which I furnished them clear proof, and take disciplinary action, criminal if appropriate, with those responsible for the dereliction of duty.  This includes those top FBI and Department of Justice officials to whom I sent certified letters.
  4. Publish reports of the findings in the above.
  5. Compensate me for the direct expense, countless hours, and stress involved in the IRS audits, the Form 1040X refund claim, State of California actions, Form 1045 delay, TIGTA report and follow-up, and FBI report and follow-up.

These actions would have to be directed by a bi-partisan commission and special prosecutor accountable directly to Congress, as the Treasury and Justice Departments have proven themselves to be untrustworthy and with an apparent agenda.  In the TIGTA cover-up, the participation and documented lies were so widespread that direction had to be coming from above.  In that case, lower level employees  involved in the most visible wrongdoing might be granted immunity to help determine from how high up the direction came.  Since there were so many people involved, safety in numbers would seemingly make it more comfortable for them to be truthful with a special prosecutor.  Once the investigations are completed, use the knowledge gained from my report and the investigation of my issues to investigate similar patterns with other taxpayers.  My experience presumably just the tip of the iceberg of widespread similar corruption that goes unnoticed or unchallenged by the victims.


Final thoughts and additional information

What is described in the various IRS related sections of donsigner.com should frighten all Americans.  One might expect this kind of government harassment targeting of its citizens and its cover-up in a communist country or dictatorship.  It has no place in a free society.  The abuse I have suffered at the hands of the IRS, the corrupt actions of TIGTA, and the FBI’s refusal to perform its duty to investigate that corruption, have consumed me in recent years.  Oh, and one other little thing – in the middle of it all GM and the Treasury Department took the business that was my life, my income, and my identity in the community for 29 years after I built it from scratch in 1980.  This confiscation is something that one would not expect even in the aforementioned oppressive societies.

Over the years, I have shared my GM/IRS/TIGTA/FBI experiences with many local acquaintances who have reacted with shock.  Two of those individuals are highly-educated immigrants, one each from China and India, and reacted with chilling comparisons of the government corruption I have experienced to corruption in their home countries.  One of these individuals is a Silicon Valley engineer born in India.  In mid-2010, right after I submitted the complaint to TIGTA, I told him about the harassing IRS audits that appeared to have been done in conspiracy with GM.  He responded that he might expect something like that to occur in India, but wouldn’t think it could happen in America.  He went on to explain that corruption and bribery are ways of doing business there, but in the U. S., the legal system will eventually catch up with the corrupt people.  The other individual is a CPA born in China.  In 2013, I explained the history to date, which included the IRS harassment, and TIGTA and FBI cover-ups.  He responded saying that those kinds of things go on in China, but I’m lucky that I’m in the United States, because I would have been dead two years ago in China.

Regarding the above comment about the U. S. legal system, so far in my case, his faith has proven to be misplaced.  Regarding the comment about being dead two years ago, this is not comforting.  In my mind, I have long compared the corruption I have observed to corrupt third world or communist countries.  To hear these people, who have experienced both governments, confirm that the U. S. Government corruption demonstrated in my case is reflective of that of the countries they left, is truly frightening.

Even though they are in two different Departments under two different leaders, Secretary Geithner and Attorney General Holder, the FBI’s response to my well-documented report of the TIGTA cover-up was almost identical to TIGTA’s response to my well-documented report of IRS harassment conspired with GM.  Three facts are indisputable:  1. President Obama appointed both leaders who report directly to him;  2. The White House received my letter alleging IRS harassment and a TIGTA cover-up on September 19, 2011;  3. Exposure of government corruption under his watch and a tarnishing of the image of Treasury Partner General Motors would have negatively affected his reelection campaign.

Up until this point it has appeared I have wasted my time pursuing justice in the country I used to have faith in.  However, amid the May-June 2013 government scandal environment, the documented evidence of government corruption I have put together over the years could now (early June 2013) very well break the investigations wide open and lead to a housecleaning of and prosecution of corrupt government officials.  If my efforts do turn out to initiate a moral overhaul in the U. S. Government and protect countless other American taxpayers from suffering what I have, then I will be most proud.

As the above is merely a summary of many years of events, I suggest that readers review the home page of donsigner.com for a summary of the dealership history leading up to events described above.  Also, the “Dealership History” tab leads to a chronological summary of events.  To isolate attention to IRS/Treasury/FBI items on the Dealership History page, readers may skip forward to 2005 and focus on paragraphs with date headings in red.  As the above is just a brief overview, I suggest that readers read the “Expanded Details” in the right column, which are referenced in links above.

 
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