According to an August 29, 2011 press release by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), IRS criminal investigations are up 12.3% and criminal convictions have risen 6.9% since 2009.  These figures include investigations of illegal businesses and income sources, but the Criminal Investigation division of the IRS still spends a majority of its time with “legal source” investigations.

Often a bearer of bad news, the last time I mentioned TIGTA, they had reported a 74% increase in tax lien filings at the IRS.  Of course the government doesn’t see it this way, in fact TIGTA commended the IRS for surpassing its goals and expectations.