| Last year, ICIJ reported that the IRS had begun closing audits of ultrawealthy individuals and corporations due to deep budget cuts. The Global High Wealth office, tasked with auditing billionaires, was hit especially hard last year, losing 38 percent of its staff within weeks of Trump taking office.
"It's logical to expect a drop in referrals when you have so few agents," said Robert Warren, a former IRS agent and assistant professor of accounting at Radford University in Virginia who also reviewed the data.
If you're a company under the LB&I's authority engaging in tax evasion, he says, "the chances of you going to jail are like that of getting hit by lightning."
The IRS declined to comment on this story. Read more here.
US LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL AFTER ICIJ/NYT AMMO INVESTIGATION
Democratic lawmakers introduced federal legislation Thursday that would ban defense contractors and government-owned plants from selling high-caliber ammunition to civilians, after an ICIJ/NYT investigation found rounds made at a U.S. Army-owned facility were falling into the hands of cartels.
INTELLEXA FOUNDER CONVICTED IN GREEK COURT
Four business executives linked to the spyware developer, which featured in ICIJ's Cyprus Confidential investigation, have been convicted by a Greek court for their involvement in the illegal wiretapping of government ministers, military officials, and journalists.
MASS SUES BITCOIN DEPOT
The Massachusetts Attorney General's lawsuit, the latest in a series of state legal actions against one of the world's largest crypto ATM operators, alleges the company knowingly facilitated crypto scams.
GROUP FILES GRIEVANCE AGAINST WORLD BANK
Villagers in Tanzania have filed a formal grievance with the World Bank, claiming the bank still hasn't provided adequate redress for loss of livelihoods and alleged human-rights abuses stemming from a bank-funded environmental program.
Thanks for reading!
Carmen Molina Acosta
ICIJ's digital editor | 
