The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) honored 49 of its employees for exemplary work during 2009.

In a ceremony at the Treasury Department's historic Cash Room, J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, praised the recipients for their outstanding work and dedication.

"I am very proud of all of TIGTA's dedicated professionals for their extraordinary work in promoting fair tax administration and good government," commented Inspector General George.

Three TIGTA special agents received individual awards, as did a member of TIGTA's Disclosure Branch. The special agents were honored for their roles in various investigations, including an international phishing scheme, an attempt by a taxpayer to hire a hit man to kill an IRS employee, and an enrolled agent who engaged in identity, credit and loan fraud.

Group awards were given to teams that conducted audits of the IRS's oversight of paid tax preparers, the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number Program, the Questionable Refund Program and the deployment of the Customer Account Data Engine and the Account Management System.

TIGTA's investigative teams also were honored for their investigation of a Washington State company obtaining and selling taxpayer information without taxpayer knowledge and for obtaining accreditation of TIGTA's investigative training academy.

Members of TIGTA's Office of Inspections and Evaluations were honored for their review of security at the IRS's Taxpayer Assistance Centers, while members of TIGTA's Office of Mission Support were honored for eliminating a backlog of background checks of TIGTA employees.

To learn more about TIGTA, including its audits and investigations, please visit: www.tigta.gov.