An Internal Revenue Service agent was arrested Monday morning after being charged with accepting a bribe from a Seattle pot shop owner.
Seattle man Paul G. Hurley, 42, faces a federal charge of soliciting and agreeing to receive a bribe by a public official and two counts of receiving a bribe by a public official. He has been charged in U.S. District Court at Seattle.
Prosecutors say Hurley demanded $20,000 from the marijuana shop owner in exchange for granting him lenience in an audit, despite the business owner never requesting a break.
After the bribe proposition, the pot shop owner reported Hurley to federal authorities, who supervised the subsequent handover of money, according to charging papers.
The business owner met with Hurley on multiple occasions throughout the summer after the owner was notified of a coming tax audit, court documents say. During the pair's first meeting, Hurley explained that no tax deduction or credit is allowed for businesses that traffic federally illegal substances such as marijuana.
Over time, the pot shop owner grew to believe Hurley was sympathetic to the marijuana industry and sensed he was being lenient in the audit.
Their last scheduled meeting occurred Sept. 11, at which time Hurley told the business owner he owed about $290,000 in taxes for 2013 and 2014. The business owner agreed to the audit results.
However, Hurley later asked whether he could ask the owner a question "off the record" and then mentioned that he saved the owner more than $1 million in the audit, court records say.
He went on to say he was living paycheck-to-paycheck and had previously talked about being unhappy at the IRS, but was working there to pay off student loans, according to the charging documents.
The business owner was silent for a moment, at which time Hurley reportedly said, "20," hinting at a demand for $20,000, prosecutors claim. Hurley is alleged to have went on to say that he wanted the pot shop owner to pay off his student loans in small amounts over time.
The business owner initially resisted the proposition, but then agreed to meet Hurley the morning of Sept. 16 at a Seattle Starbucks.
The owner told federal agents he never indicated to Hurley that he would pay him off to reduce his tax debt.
The business owner reported Hurley to authorities, who then supplied him with $5,000 cash and supervised the owner's meeting at the Starbucks. Agents equipped the owner with a wire and also employed a video recording device to shoot footage of the deal, records say.
During their meeting, the business owner mentioned he was afraid of getting into legal trouble for the payment, prosecutors say, to which Hurley allegedly responded, "You're not in trouble. I brought this up to you. I'm the one that is going to get in trouble."
The pair then arranged to meet for the remainder of the payment on Monday.
Federal authorities on Monday morning gave the business owner $15,000 and again supervised his meeting with Hurley, which took place in the business owner's car in the Starbucks parking lot.
During the exchange, the business owner told Hurley he had a friend being audited and hoped his friend could deal with an IRS agent like Hurley.
Hurley reportedly said something to the effect of, "There's no one like me," according to the charging documents.
Special agents closed in on Hurley at 8:10 a.m. and arrested him. They found $15,000 in Hurley's backpack, as well as $80 in his wallet that came from the $5,000 he received last week, reports say.
Both crimes for which Hurley is charged are punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/crim...ted-bribe-from-6519996.php?cmpid=fbsocialflow
Seattle man Paul G. Hurley, 42, faces a federal charge of soliciting and agreeing to receive a bribe by a public official and two counts of receiving a bribe by a public official. He has been charged in U.S. District Court at Seattle.
Prosecutors say Hurley demanded $20,000 from the marijuana shop owner in exchange for granting him lenience in an audit, despite the business owner never requesting a break.
After the bribe proposition, the pot shop owner reported Hurley to federal authorities, who supervised the subsequent handover of money, according to charging papers.
The business owner met with Hurley on multiple occasions throughout the summer after the owner was notified of a coming tax audit, court documents say. During the pair's first meeting, Hurley explained that no tax deduction or credit is allowed for businesses that traffic federally illegal substances such as marijuana.
Over time, the pot shop owner grew to believe Hurley was sympathetic to the marijuana industry and sensed he was being lenient in the audit.
Their last scheduled meeting occurred Sept. 11, at which time Hurley told the business owner he owed about $290,000 in taxes for 2013 and 2014. The business owner agreed to the audit results.
However, Hurley later asked whether he could ask the owner a question "off the record" and then mentioned that he saved the owner more than $1 million in the audit, court records say.
He went on to say he was living paycheck-to-paycheck and had previously talked about being unhappy at the IRS, but was working there to pay off student loans, according to the charging documents.
The business owner was silent for a moment, at which time Hurley reportedly said, "20," hinting at a demand for $20,000, prosecutors claim. Hurley is alleged to have went on to say that he wanted the pot shop owner to pay off his student loans in small amounts over time.
The business owner initially resisted the proposition, but then agreed to meet Hurley the morning of Sept. 16 at a Seattle Starbucks.
The owner told federal agents he never indicated to Hurley that he would pay him off to reduce his tax debt.
The business owner reported Hurley to authorities, who then supplied him with $5,000 cash and supervised the owner's meeting at the Starbucks. Agents equipped the owner with a wire and also employed a video recording device to shoot footage of the deal, records say.
During their meeting, the business owner mentioned he was afraid of getting into legal trouble for the payment, prosecutors say, to which Hurley allegedly responded, "You're not in trouble. I brought this up to you. I'm the one that is going to get in trouble."
The pair then arranged to meet for the remainder of the payment on Monday.
Federal authorities on Monday morning gave the business owner $15,000 and again supervised his meeting with Hurley, which took place in the business owner's car in the Starbucks parking lot.
During the exchange, the business owner told Hurley he had a friend being audited and hoped his friend could deal with an IRS agent like Hurley.
Hurley reportedly said something to the effect of, "There's no one like me," according to the charging documents.
Special agents closed in on Hurley at 8:10 a.m. and arrested him. They found $15,000 in Hurley's backpack, as well as $80 in his wallet that came from the $5,000 he received last week, reports say.
Both crimes for which Hurley is charged are punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/crim...ted-bribe-from-6519996.php?cmpid=fbsocialflow
