If I was unknowingly engaged in perjury with the IRS on behalf of my former employer, can they use me as a “fall guy”?

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If I was unknowingly engaged in perjury with the IRS on behalf of my former employer, can they use me as a “fall guy”?

I was responsible for verifying information on behalf of my company with the IRS. Although we were in violation of the IRS system’s terms of use, I was told to continue anyway. I reported this to a series of changing CEOs. Then 2 weeks after I reported this to our newest CEO, I was laid off for budget reasons. Could the company try to use me as the fall guy since I was the “authorized agent,” or is it still the company’s responsibility since I was acting on their directive?

Asked on August 19, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, District of Columbia

Answers:

M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

The chain of events here are unclear to me.  Did you "unknowingly" report the information or did you advise CEO's that it was a violation as you say?  I would consult with an attorney as soon as you can about what you need to do to correct the issue with the IRS and where you stand.  Good luck.


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