IRS Expects Cryptocurrency Tax Crime Cases to Rise As Tax Season Ends

As tax season draws to a close, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is bracing for a possible increase in cases involving cryptocurrency tax crimes. IRS Criminal Investigation Director Guy Ficco said he expects the number of Title 26 cryptocurrency cases to be prosecuted to increase this year and in the coming years.

Over the years, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been conducting investigations into cryptocurrency assets as part of larger fraud cases, schemes, embezzlement, and money laundering activities. On the other hand, Pico focuses on the phenomenon of ‘pure cryptocurrency tax crimes’, which are defined as violations of federal income tax laws directly related to cryptocurrency.

According to Ficco, these crimes related to cryptocurrency can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, including failure to disclose funds obtained from cryptocurrency sales or efforts to conceal the true basis of cryptocurrency assets. The IRS has already seen an increase in these cases and believes there will be even more in the future.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been working with blockchain companies like Chainalytic to address the problems caused by cryptocurrency tax evasion. This agreement provides the agency with critical tools to analyze complex cryptocurrency transactions, helping it identify and investigate tax violations in a more effective manner.

IRS agents can use Chainalytic and other technologies to track fund transactions and discover essential information about cryptocurrency ownership. Thanks to this partnership, tax crimes using cryptocurrencies have been identified and resolved, which has proven to be a significant development.

It is important to note that financial crimes using cryptocurrencies have resulted in some of the largest seizures ever made by the U.S. government. Over the past few years, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division has contributed significantly to these efforts, further emphasizing the agency’s commitment to the fight against cryptocurrency tax evasion.

Taxpayers are expected to file their returns on April 15, and the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to deal with expected cases of cyber tax crime. The increasing focus of efforts by institutions to ensure tax compliance in the cryptocurrency market reflects the growing importance of digital assets in the broader financial landscape.

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