Former tax worker admits illegal record inspection

A Kalispell resident and former Internal Revenue Service employee has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to unauthorized inspection of tax returns.

Todd Snarr, 46, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s District of Montana earlier this month.

The deal was announced Sept. 7 during a federal court session in Missoula.

Snarr worked for the Internal Revenue Service from 1994 to 2010 as an individual taxpayer advisory specialist. Prosecutors allege that on multiple occasions between Jan. 3, 2006, and April 9, 2008, Snarr illegally accessed the tax records of two people.

In the plea agreement, Snarr admits accessing only one person’s records.

An offer of proof by the U.S. Attorney’s office, though, indicates evidence exists to charge him with two counts.

The violations were uncovered during an investigation designed to identify electronic taxpayer refunds fraudulently diverted to IRS employees. Snarr became a target after someone’s refund allegedly was diverted to his bank account.

He faces up to one year in prison, a $1,000 fine and one year of supervised release.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16.

The investigation was conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.