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Attorney files for more time to charge mastermind
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Federal prosecutors need more time to make their case against Harriette Walters.
Authorities are required to charge suspects formally within 30 days of their arrest. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy G. Lynch filed a request Friday asking for an additional 90 days to consider Harriette Walters' case because "the intensive, ongoing" investigation requires the review of "extraordinarily large volumes of governmental and financial records covering a significantly long period of time."
Walters and six others are accused of bilking the public out of at least $20 million through a series of phony property tax refunds over nearly a decade.
In what may be the first public acknowledgement that the investigation has widened its focus beyond 1999 -- the earliest years for which computerized tax office records are available -- Lynch said in his extension request that he expects "the volume of records will only continue to increase as the investigation proceeds, particularly since financial records generally take more time to obtain the farther back in time they were created."
Friday's filing also drops broad hints that Walters may have been helped by others in the tax office. So far, only former tax office employee Diane Gustus has been formally charged in the scheme, but Lynch said that Walters was "aided and abetted by others" and relied on "significant efforts and financial transactions to conceal proceeds of the scheme and further and promote the scheme itself."
"The proceeds have been distributed locally, nationally, and internationally," Lynch wrote.
Walters' lawyer, former prosecutor Steven C. Tabackman, has already agreed to one extension and said in open court that he was hoping to talk with prosecutors about his case. Tabackman did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Got a tip on the tax scandal? Call Bill Myers at 202-459-4956 or send him an e-mail, bmyers@dcexaminer.com.
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:07 PM MST on Sun., Dec. 16, 2007 re: "Attorney files for more time to charge mastermind"
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8:51 AM MST on Sun., Dec. 16, 2007
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5:03 AM MST on Sun., Dec. 16, 2007
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BostonRay said:
ACL: You are precise and succinctly correct. We want the "others" to join in this perp walk. It would be a great photo-op to see a US Marshall walk into DC City Hall and announce "You are All under arrest".
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Examiner Reader - ACL said:
I hope the judicial system will allow the extension in time for an additional 90 days as the magnitude of the funds siphoned off by these individuals may of span beyond 1999. This may be the "tip of the iceberg" and more individuals not already identified or revealed may be implicated. Justice would not be served without a throughly complete investigation that will find, document and present all the evidence. As well as net all individuals that are involved whether from the beginning or during the course of time, joining in to the support or even increase the amounts taken with total disregard to the impact to the City or other individuals that struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis. These lost funds could of been reinvested into the city, to improved city services, improved infrastructure and more importantly saved lives. But was spent selfishly, lavishly and flaunted publicly as if above the law and untouchable. Think about what good could of been done with those funds.
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Joe Jena said:
I'm concerned that so much paper will be needed to indict everyone in the D.C. government that it could affect global warming.
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