An Oregon man is suing the Internal Revenue Service claiming a female agent threatened him with penalties unless he submitted to having sex with her.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed by Vincent Burroughs on Jan. 25, IRS agent Dora Abrahamson contacted him by phone in August 2011, informing him of an audit the agency was performing on his tax returns and asking to meet with him to discuss the issue.
At the time, Burroughs hadn't received a written notice from the IRS about an audit.
According to Burroughs, Abrahamson began flirting via phone calls and text messages, sending him photos of herself in her underwear with her hands in provocative positions, reported
Forbes Magazine.
Burroughs' complaint alleges Abrahamson eventually confronted him at his home where she propositioned him. Two months after her first call, Burroughs claimed, he had sex with Abrahamson after "persistent sexual harassment."
One of the alleged threats Abrahamson reportedly made against Burroughs involved imposing a 40 percent penalty, while suggesting no penalty if he agreed to the sex.
The lawsuit did not indicate whether Burroughs was eventually assessed a penalty.
"She could be a bitch, or . . . she could be nice," Burroughs said about Abrahamson in the complaint.
The lawsuit claims that Abrahamson was, among other things, negligent "[i]n permitting her carnal desires to overcome her judgment that it was inappropriate to pursue a sexual relationship with a taxpayer she was auditing."
Burroughs seeks punitive damages for having suffered "anguish, humiliation, mental distress, depression, lost income, and loss of trust in governmental authority."
Burroughs, who was in "an exclusive relationship with another woman" at the time, also said the affair caused tension.
According to Forbes, there was no indication Burroughs made any attempt to inform law enforcement or the IRS about the alleged harassment. In the complaint, Burroughs said he "did not report it initially out of embarrassment and fear that she would cause substantial financial penalties to imposed upon him."
The IRS hasn't commented on the lawsuit.
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