IRS blames drop in criminal investigations on manpower shortfalls

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division opened more than 3,000 new cases in FY 2017, but that was an 11 percent drop over the previous year. Don Fort, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigations, blamed the declining  case load on  a lack of manpower to handle any more.  In the IRS CID annual report, Fort  noted the division had the same number of special agents (2,200) as it did 50 years ago.  The report said IRS special agents secured 2,300 indictments and 2,500 sentences in 2017.  Most IRS criminal investigations related to the tax system, but the division also assists other agencies in fraud, drug and public corruption work. A major focus was ID theft.   (IRS )
• Robby Strong of Los Angeles told reporters he was the man interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service after a prank aimed at Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Strong claimed responsibility for delivering a gift-wrapped package of horse manure addressed to Mnuchin.   The box was found Saturday at the home of Mnuchin’s neighbor in the wealthy Los Angeles Bel Air neighborhood. Secret Service spokesman Cody Starken declined to identify the perpetrator, but Strong said he did it, motivated by his displeasure with the $1.5 trillion tax bill signed into law by President Trump. Strong, a clinical psychologist, said he had received death threats over the package, but said he doesn’t regret sending it. (CBS)
• The Defense Department released the 2018 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates. A typical mid-grade enlisted member with dependents, for example, will find his/her BAH about $19 per month higher than last year, while a typical junior officer without dependents will find his/her BAH at about $16 higher than last year. Actual BAH increases for individuals will vary widely based on where they are assigned, paygrade and whether they have family. (Military.com)
• The Navy announced it is relaxing rules on the semi-annual fitness checkups. Passing the fitness test used to be the lowest standard for military service. But now, as the Navy tries to increase its workforce, it will be cutting some corners.  New Navy regulations will allow service members to fair the physical fitness assessment (PFA) at least twice. Although they will be ineligible for promotions until they pass a PFA, they will continue to serve until they’ve lived up to their previously-agreed-on military service obligations. The change in policy is a reflection of the Navy’s new efforts to hold on to as many of its existing sailors as possible, as it aims to  eliminate personnel shortfalls. (Federal News Radio)
• An audit by the Defense Department Inspector General pointed out new health and safety deficiencies in some new buildings in overseas bases. The report focused on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where it found examples of warehouses and other buildings that didn’t meet DoD’s own standards for building safety, such as having fire sprinklers installed. In all, the audit found 253 deficiencies that inspectors said could put DoD personnel’s life or safety at risk, including some that resulted from a failure to perform adequate maintenance, not just inadequate construction. The Air Force said it has fixed or is in the process of fixing the most critical problems the inspectors identified. (Federal News Radio)
• Pentagon officials underscored an initiative they launched back in September to move more aggressively in adopting cloud computing as a way to support warfighters.  More than 1,000 DoD IT people attended a cloud symposium earlier this month hosted by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). DISA’s cloud portfolio chief John Hale predicted 2018 to be a year of research and vendor selection, with greater cloud usage following in 2019. (American Military News)

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