The Senate Finance Committee will wind up its series of hearings on operations of the Internal Revenue Bureau in a 10 a.m. meeting Friday on St. Thomas.
Committee Chairwoman Lorraine Berry, in a letter requesting the appearance of Acting IRB Director Louis Willis at the meeting, stated that the "ills of the IRB are unacceptable."
She also said it "is apparent" to her that David Verdi, president of Independent Consulting Services Inc., the company hired by IRB to provide computer installation, will not attend Friday's hearing since he has failed to respond to numerous invitations.
Berry referred to issues that legislative Post Auditor Campbell Malone had cited in his analysis of the IRB's problems. Malone said the IRB's computer system, "the brain of the agency, reportedly … is virtually dead." He said that "possible improprieties, perhaps bordering on criminality may well [have undermined] the proper functioning of the IRB computer setup."
Berry's letter to Willis specifically asked for:
– An itemization and detailed description of the cost of his IRB reorganization plan, which he had revealed before the Committee last month, but with no details;
– Detailed explanation of all IRB changes required to improve effectiveness;
– Specific plans to collect the more than $100 million in current taxes due the government;
– Projected cost of reforms in the reorganization, and the impact on the IRB if the Fiscal Year 2001 budget provides insufficient funding.
Malone said because of conflicting and "non-realistic" evidence brought out so far in the hearings, the committee should refer questionable matters to the Attorney General or the U.S. Attorney's office. It was brought out in an August hearing that the conflict over payment to ICSI is already in the AG's office.
Berry said the final hearing will refer certain outstanding matters for further investigation and determination by legal authorities.
On Monday, Stephen Austin Monsanto, a former assistant to the director of the IRB, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in Territorial Court, according to court records.
