Former IRS Attorney Says Government's Move on Fumo Properties Was Overdue
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A former IRS lawyer who now teaches at Villanova University says the government's move to place liens against properties held by former Philadelphia state senator Vince Fumo is rare, but not unusual in the years since the criminal case against him was decided.
Keith Fogg, who served more than 30 years in the office of the IRS' chief counsel, says word that the government has placed liens against the transfer of properties to a family member and a female companion is a bit surprising only in how long it took.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported over the weekend that the IRS claims Fumo owes them nearly $3 million, and has filed liens against two big properties he owned as well as his bank accounts.
Fogg says he's surprised it took so long for the government to act.
"His trial ended three or four years ago, so I would have expected the IRS to have moved quicker," Fogg tells KYW Newsradio, "but it's pretty normal to come behind a criminal case of that type."
Fumo is serving federal jail time in a Kentucky prison for his 2009 conviction in a case involving use of Pennsylvania state senate employees as well as use of funds from a nonprofit group for political and personal uses.
Fogg says Fumo will get his day in court to respond to the IRS claims. And, he says, it's likely this won't be resolved anytime soon.
