Former Fayetteville IRS Revenue Agent Sentenced To Over 4 Years In Federal Prison For False Representation Of A Social Security Number And Aggravated Identity Theft

Fayetteville, AR – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas announced that Ryan Payne, age 36, of Barling, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 52 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $9,953.13 in restitution for False Representation of a Social Security Number and Aggravated Identity Theft.   The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court records, in 2015, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration launched a criminal investigation of Payne stemming from his employment at the IRS in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as a revenue agent. Payne resigned from his position in January 2015. As part of his duties as a revenue agent, Payne conducted an official audit of a business for the tax year 2010. The owner of the business provided Payne a flash drive containing business records, as well as personal identifying information. Payne retained the flash drive after leaving employment at the IRS and compromised the business owner’s identity. Specifically, Payne set up a credit account using the business owner’s name and social security number without authorization.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case for the United States.