An IRS technology official at the center of a House investigation into whether he pushed the agency to award contracts potentially worth up to $500 million to a company owned by a personal friend pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify at a House hearing Wednesday.
A House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report Tuesday said Greg Roseman, an IRS deputy director, may have influenced the IRS to award lucrative IT contracts to Strong Castle, Inc.
The same report also said the company had given the Small Business Administration misleading information to win approval so it could obtain set aside contracts, and that its Veterans Affairs-awarded status as a so-called service disabled veteran company was based on a nearly three decade old foot injury by its owner.
The House investigation also uncovered numerous text messages between Roseman and Strong Castle’s owner, Braulio Castillo. The company was previously called Signet Computers. The committee report said the company had little experience, but Castillo pushed back on that assertion, saying the firm had 15 years experience when he purchased it.
Still, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Ca., the chairman of the committee, said the company had little experience because employees under the previous owner from years ago were no longer around.
Appearing before the committee, Roseman declined to testify other than giving his title, and he declined to say whether he was still employed by the IRS.
The House report called the relationship between Roseman and Castillo “cozy.”
“Text messages … show that Castillo and Roseman had a long-term friendship that extended well beyond a professional relationship,” the report said, adding that many of the messages were vulgar.
Investigators also found a February 2012 email from Roseman to Castillo in which Roseman provided the name of a supervisory contract specialist at the General Services Administration, where Roseman previously worked, who could help Castillo get a contract on GSA’s Schedule 70, a catalog of governmentwide contracts for information technology products and services. In the email, Roseman told Castillo, “I’ve talked to her and she will look into expediting.”
Beth Tucker, a deputy IRS commissioner, said the agency is the process of severing its relationship with Strong Castle.
While Issa said the IRS hadn’t indicated in recent days whether it would continue doing business with the company, Tucker characterized new text messages uncovered in the House probe as a surprise to IRS officials.
She said Roseman was asked by supervisors if he had a personal relationship with Castillo and “he denied it.”
Meanwhile, Castillo said his company won blanket purchase agreements from the IRS, which placed orders that amounted to about $50 million, with most of that money going to the company’s large business partner, IBM.
14 Comments
An entire federal prison needs to be constructed just to house
IRS employees.
A public employee has no right to take the fifth, and doing so admits guilt. This is corruption, plain and simple. The government has failed.
Pingback: OBAMAGATE: [VIDEO] Another Agency Official Takes the Fifth | The Conservative Voice
I am really tired of government officials, our employees, refusing to testify before investigative committees of Congress by pleading their 5th Amendment rights. It is true they have that right but maybe we the people ought to start suing these people in civil court.
When are some heads gonna roll over at the IRS? Is anything, anything at all, ever going to happen with ANY of these scandals? Or are they just going to continue to jack with the little guys and give us lots of lip service? I think we all know. It will all just eventually fade away.
There will be no consequences against any Obama supporter. Ever.
Why not take the 5th. His boss did!
The right NOT to self incriminate is a constitutional right. What’s wrong with you baggers?!
The rightto NOT self incriminate is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, what’s wrong with you baggers!?
Well Marcus……. having the right to not incriminate himself is a guaranteed right but it is not a license to steal.
Since a deputy director of a Federal agency has asserted that right I would presume the deputy director of a Federal agency believes he has done something warranting criminal prosecution.
Just reading the tidbits in this story taking the 5th won’t help Roseman much. I wish I could get a case so easy to prosecute.
Pingback: Culture of Corruption | as Wayne Sees It
Just shows that the corruption extends well beyond our politicians and their friends. Employees of the American People should be exempt from taking the 5th as they are entrusted to care for the nation.
Pingback: Outside The Wire » ‘Shame on you,’ disabled vet Duckworth grills IRS contractor
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the
layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content
so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?