WASHINGTON – The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) announced today new appointments in the Office of Investigations, including the appointment of James S. Jackson to the position of Deputy Inspector General for Investigations (DIGI). Mr. Jackson has served as Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations since January 1, 2018.
"As the Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Jim has demonstrated his dynamic and effective leadership at the helm of one of the largest and most important components of our organization," said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, in announcing the appointment. "Jim's diverse background and expertise will serve us well as we continue to confront the challenges before us and work to move the Office of Investigations well into the future," he added.
TIGTA's Office of Investigations protects the integrity of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and its ability to collect tax revenue. It investigates allegations related to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement concerning IRS activities, and protects the IRS against external attempts to corrupt, threaten, or interfere with its employees. This mission is accomplished through proactive and reactive investigative programs.
The DIGI is a key position for TIGTA, as it oversees an organization of more than 380 employees located in 66 locations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
Mr. Jackson has been a manager at TIGTA since 2006. He began his Federal career with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1987. In 1993, he was selected for a special duty assignment with the USAF, Office of Special Investigations (OSI), where he completed the USAF Special Investigations Academy as a distinguished graduate and went on to serve as a special agent in OSI's Southeast Region.
In 1997, Mr. Jackson transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), where he was instrumental in the creation of NASA OIG's cybercrime investigations capability, created an electronic case management system, and was eventually promoted to the position of Resident Agent in Charge of the East Coast Region of NASA OIG's Computer Crimes Division. While at NASA OIG, Jim was also assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Infrastructure Protection Center, where he led several high-level investigations involving network-based cyber attacks against the United States.
In addition, TIGTA announced the appointments of Ruben Florez to the position of Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI) over Field Operations, and the appointment of Jeffrey Long to the position of AIGI over the Threat, Agent Safety, and Sensitive Investigations Directorate for TIGTA's Office of Investigations. In their new positions, Mr. Florez and Mr. Long will provide the day-to-day executive leadership to both TIGTA's investigative operations and headquarters support functions.
Mr. Florez began his Federal law enforcement career in 1988, as an IRS Inspector in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was later promoted to the position of Assistant Special Agent in Charge of TIGTA's Houston group, and in 2012, Mr. Florez was subsequently promoted to the position of Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of TIGTA's Dallas Field Division. In July 2015, Mr. Florez became the SAC of TIGTA's Mid-States Field Division, the largest field division in the Office of Investigations.
Mr. Long began his Federal law enforcement career in 1999 with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Inspector General. In 2004, Mr. Long joined TIGTA's Office of Investigations where he has served and acted in various leadership roles, including Assistant Special Agent in Charge, and as a Representative to the National Joint Terrorism Task Force at the National Counterterrorism Center. In 2015, Mr. Long was promoted to the position of SAC of the Electronic Crimes and Intelligence Division, where he served until July 2017, when he began acting as the AIGI over the Threat, Agent Safety, and Sensitive Investigations Directorate.