Former IRS Agent Sentenced: U.S. District Judge...

Former IRS Agent Sentenced: U.S. District Judge James M. Ideman sentenced a former Los Angeles IRS agent to 12 years in federal prison for preparing false and fraudulent federal income tax returns. Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven G. Madison, who prosecuted the case, said Shelvin E. Byars prepared and filed numerous false tax returns that claimed phony deductions and tax credits for tax shelter partnerships managed by Byars; Madison said $11.5 million in federal taxes went unpaid as a result. Madison said all criminal activity occurred while Byars was in private practice as a certified public accountant after he left the IRS and emphasized that the case was not connected in any way with the current probe of the IRS office in Los Angeles.