U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

December 15, 2020

IRS Employee Arrested for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

On October 21, 2020, in the District of New Jersey, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Supervisory Revenue Agent Michael Shelli was arrested for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Shelli was charged by criminal complaint on October 20, 2020.

According to the court documents, between approximately January 2010 until March 2020, Shelli bought over five kilograms of cocaine and then distributed the illegal substance in and around Albany, New York. On a monthly basis, Shelli had a courier pick up cocaine from a residence in New Jersey and deliver it to Shelli's residence in Albany, New York. Shelli would then repackage the cocaine and sell it in the New York area.

If convicted, Shelli could receive a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.

    Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: DOJ Press Release, October 21, 2020, and D.N.J., Crim. Compl., October 20, 2020.