PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2001 Federal Employee Pleads Guilty in Superior Court WASHINGTON, DC - A federal employee plead guilty in Superior Court to charges related to unlawfully receiving a District of Columbia income tax refund. A criminal investigation by the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) determined that Durwin Greggs unlawfully received tax refunds. Greggs has agreed to make restitution to OTR in the amount of $2,296, which includes interest and penalties. The Greggs' case is another example of OTR's increased focus on fraud and non-compliant activity. "Most District taxpayers are extremely truthful and their returns are accurate, but it is our duty to look for non-compliance on tax returns and halt any improper refund payments," said Herbert J. Huff, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Tax and Revenue. "We are here to protect the citizens' hard-earned tax dollars. Tax fraud is a costly drain on everyone's resources." The Greggs case was one of thousands involving suspicious returns and refunds spotted by OTR's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) as part of its Questionable Refund Detection Team program. In addition to returns slated for criminal investigation, the CID identified almost 1,500 returns that showed potential for civil audit. Those audits are part of a "pre-refund" program, where OTR is able to stop the issuance of any refunds before the money is claimed by taxpayers.