Philadelphia Woman Charged With Cheating on Taxes While Working for IRS

On Tax Day, no less.

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There’s no substitute for good timing. On Tuesday, April 15th — otherwise known as Tax Day — the United States Attorney’s office in Philadelphia charged former IRS employee Lora Lewis with filing false tax returns and defrauding the government of $39,000.

According to the charging information filed in Philadelphia’s federal court on Tuesday, the 51-year-old Philadelphia woman collected unemployment compensation from 2007 to 2011, all while she was employed as a contact representative for the IRS.

The government alleges that Lewis failed to report her unemployment compensation on her tax returns for those years and that she illegally took a first-time home buyer’s credit, earned income credit, and education credit to which she was not entitled. Lewis also allegedly falsely claimed deductions, including IRA contributions never made.

If convicted, Lewis could face three years in prison, restitution, and a fine of as much as $250,000. Lewis could not immediately be reached for comment.