In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) formed the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement, known as the J5, with tax authorities from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. On January 23, 2020, the IRS announced the J5’s first major law enforcement initiative – a series of coordinated investigations that resulted in the takedown of a Central American bank suspected of “facilitating money laundering and tax evasion for customers across the globe.” According to the IRS, indictments of the bank’s clients are expected to follow.

If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident and you own financial assets overseas, you may be subject to reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). Failing to meet your FATCA reporting requirements can result in steep penalties. To find out what you need to disclose to the IRS, or to protect yourself if you are being accused of violating FATCA, you should speak with a Washington DC FATCA lawyer right away.