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June 8th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
Initially charged in a 10-count
indictment, including possession of a fake foreign passport, aggravated
identity theft, making false statements during a background check, and wire
fraud, a Special Agent with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
recently pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after
stealing the identity of an individual who had been under IRS investigation.
According to the indictment,
law enforcement agents in South Korea received information that IRS Agent Bryan
Cho, also known as “Yong Hee Cho,” received bribe payments from public
officials at South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and National Tax
Service in exchange for sensitive information that Cho had obtained from the
IRS. Cho has been employed as a Special Agent with IRS Criminal Investigation
since 2008.
After closing the investigation of
an individual suspected of criminal activities without bringing up charges
against the individual, Cho retained personal information to create false
identification documents and open a corporate entity overseas in the target’s
name. Often using Cho’s photo along with the individual’s name, the fake
documents included passports and identification cards from the Republic of
Marshall Island, Philippines, and the Republic of Guinea Bissau.
During a background investigation
in September 2018, Cho made false and misleading statements regarding his
criminal activities. Less than a year later, he also allegedly submitted
multiple false documents in connection with the purchase of a co-op apartment
on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, including forged tax returns and bank
statements that inflated his income and assets.
In January, Cho was arrested and
charged in a 10-count indictment, including possession of a fake foreign
passport, aggravated identity theft, making false statements during a
background check, wire fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy. On Friday, he pleaded
guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“The defendant shamelessly violated
his oath of office, and now he will pay the price for his criminal conduct,”
stated Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko in a press
release. “While the vast majority of federal law enforcement agents
honor the trust placed in them by the public, today’s plea serves as a reminder
that this Office will prosecute corrupt agents who abuse their positions for
their personal benefit.”
“TIGTA aggressively investigates
Internal Revenue Service employees who violate the public’s trust,” said J.
Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
(TIGTA). “Our mission at TIGTA is to protect the integrity of our Nation’s
system of tax administration, and we are committed to working with our law
enforcement partners to ensure those who endeavor to corrupt Federal tax
administration are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Facing up to 20 years in federal prison
on the wire fraud count, Cho also faces a mandatory consecutive sentence of two
years’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft count. According to his
plea deal, he has agreed to forfeit $394,374.63.
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