Providing tax representation, income tax return preparation, and tax consulting services nationwide as well as internationally.

BACKGROUND

My IRS experience spans nearly 35 years, encompassing technical and managerial positions, culminating in my appointment as Associate Chief in the Office of IRS Appeals. During my career at the IRS, I worked on and performed managerial reviews of thousands of IRS cases involving collections, audits, and appeals. I bring unmatched insight into how tax matters are examined, collected, and resolved. The primary focus of my tax practice is providing clients with IRS tax help for audits, collections, and appeals.

With over 22 years in private practice as an Enrolled Agent (EA) and Federally Authorized Tax Practitioner (FATP), I specialize in resolving complex tax problems—whether they involve audits, collections, or appeals. My main office is in Santa Clarita, California, but with today’s technology, I represent clients in all 50 states and internationally.

My mission is to help you navigate the often-complex processes of the IRS, FTB, and state tax administration, working to minimize financial consequences and reduce the stress that comes with IRS and other tax agency problems. The sooner you seek help, the more options—and the lower the cost—your resolution is likely to involve. This is your one-stop resource for experienced, results-focused IRS tax help as well as help for resolving tax disputed with the FTB and other tax agencies.

TAX PRACTICE AREAS (Click here for more detailed information)

Who are Enrolled Agents?
Enrolled Agents (EAs) are tax professionals who receive their exclusive right to practice before the IRS directly from the United States Government (U.S. Treasury Department). EAs must prove their competence in Federal taxation before receiving their license from the United States Treasury Department.  Most Enrolled Agents (EAs) focus on tax return preparation. Fewer are providing tax resolution services dealing with IRS, FTB, and other agency tax audits, collection controversies, and administrative appeals.

Individual states license Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and attorneys. These professionals may or may not specialize in tax resolution services for audits, collections, or administrative appeals.

Owe a Lot of Back Taxes and Want to Take an International Trip?
It’s imperative to promptly address and settle your IRS tax obligations if you’re considering traveling outside the United States. The IRS is now communicating with the United States State Department seeking assistance with IRS collection enforcement. These actions involve denying the issuance of new passports or renewals or even revoking existing passports. This applies to taxpayers with outstanding tax liabilities exceeding $64,000 in tax, penalties, and interest. This amount is adjusted annually for inflation. These debts include U.S. individual income taxes, trust fund recovery penalties (TFRP), business taxes for which taxpayers are personally liable, and other civil penalties. 

The IRS must have (a) filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien, and (b) all administrative remedies under the law have lapsed or have been exhausted, or issued a levy in their efforts to collect these debts. Booking a trip abroad only to encounter the unpleasant surprise of being unable to leave the U.S. due to a revoked passport or inability to get a new one is best avoided at all costs!

IRS Scams
Be alert to fraudulent contacts by scammers pretending to be IRS Revenue Agents, Revenue Officers, Settlement Officers, Special Agents, or other IRS employees! Thousands of taxpayers suffer financial loss and identity theft monthly when they provide personal and financial information or make payments to these fraudsters!! Most of these individuals use scare tactics and demand tax payments via unconventional methods. These methods often include gift cards, virtual currency, a cash app, or a Western Union money transfer. Be alert for clues that you are about to be scammed!!

The typical and legitimate method for the IRS to make initial contact with you is almost always by an IRS letter or IRS Notice of a pending tax audit or non-payment of an IRS tax liability. If you never received such a letter or notice, be very careful about unexpected calls, texts, or e-mails allegedly from an IRS employee!

Bottom line: if you are called by someone claiming to be from the IRS, be careful. Get their name, employee badge number, the title of their position, office address, and contact phone number. Inform them that you will call them back after verifying their identity.  You can then call the IRS at (800) 829-1040 and confirm the call was legitimate.  If you are unable to reach the IRS, please contact me at my Santa Clarita office. I may be able to assist you.

Here is a link to the IRS website where they share information on the latest IRS scams.

Communicating with the IRS or State Tax Agency Employees
Taxpayers should exercise care in deciding whether or not to talk directly with an IRS Revenue Agent, Revenue Officer, Appeals Officer, Settlement Officer, or state tax agency employees. In the worst-case scenario, inadvertently making the wrong statement could turn what should have been a civil resolution into a potential criminal tax matter. IRS Revenue Agents are well-trained to look for “badges of fraud” in their IRS audits. In my opinion, no taxpayer should ever talk to an IRS Special Agent (criminal investigator) without legal counsel.

Always be truthful in your statements to IRS or state tax agency employees. Making an intentionally false statement or providing fabricated documents can land you in very hot water! I recommend retaining the services of an EA or other qualified and experienced tax resolution specialist. Let them handle direct communication with an IRS, FTB, or State tax agency employee concerning an audit or collection matter, or an administrative appeal.

Should you attempt to handle your tax controversy or audit on your own?
Navigating the IRS and State tax controversy resolution process can be complicated. To manage it effectively independently, a taxpayer must invest substantial time in studying the nuances of the Internal Revenue Code, IRS Regulations, case law, rulings, procedures, and the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM), which dictates IRS protocols and policies. Additionally, it requires education and experience to master tax strategies for negotiating favorable resolutions. The financial ramifications of handling an IRS tax audit or tax collection controversy independently could far surpass the cost of enlisting the services of an experienced Enrolled Agent (EA) or CPA tax resolution specialist.

Be aware that not all accountants, attorneys, or Enrolled Agents specialize in tax resolution services. You may consider prior technical or managerial experience as an IRS former employee or manager to be an essential factor in choosing a representative. While I believe such prior IRS experience is invaluable, it is certainly not a requirement. I have met some competent professionals who were never IRS technical employees or managers.

When to enlist professional tax help.
While I generally do not recommend that any taxpayer take on the IRS or State tax agency controversy (audit, collection, or appeals) without representation, I am sensitive to clients facing financial challenges. I may be able to suggest ways to obtain IRS tax audit help or IRS collection help and guidance while minimizing your out-of-pocket costs.

You may feel comfortable communicating directly with an IRS Revenue Officer, IRS Revenue Agent, IRS Tax Compliance Officer (TCO), IRS Appeals Officer, IRS Settlement Officer, or any other employee involved in your IRS, FTB, or state tax audit or collection controversy. If that is the situation, you can retain me to explain your options, provide strategic guidance, review IRS or other agency documents received, and review your planned responses. This could make the difference between the success or failure of your tax resolution efforts! Further, if you get in over your head, I can take over as your representative to resolve your tax controversy.

Time is of the essence when dealing with the IRS and other tax agencies’ audit, collection, and appeal tax issues. From my 34+ years of inside-the-IRS experience, I assure you that the earlier you seek and receive tax audit or collection tax help for resolving your IRS, FTB, or other state tax audit, tax collection, or other tax controversy, the faster you can resume a normal life. Tax audit and collection problems are like tooth decay. They will worsen if ignored, resulting in a “financial” root canal! You do NOT want the IRS, FTB, or other state tax agency doing a “root canal” on your finances!! Get IRS tax help today!

An important note about tax liabilities and the IRS federal tax lien.
Tax liabilities are considered unsecured debts.  That is because the debt is not secured by specific property (such as a car securing an auto loan). Another example of a secured debt is a mortgage secured by a home or other type of real property. Secured debts have collateral that can be repossessed or sold to satisfy the debt. 

Still, IRS debts (as well as other tax agency debts) do have priority over most other unsecured debts. An automatic IRS federal lien (often referred to as a Statutory Lien or Silent Lien) arises 10-days after a Notice Demanding Payment is issued and remains unpaid. The IRS federal tax lien continues until the debt is satisfied or becomes unenforceable due to the statute of limitation. The lien is not perfected against certain creditors until public notice is given, which is accomplished when the Notice of Lien is filed with the County Recorder. The timing of the IRS’s secured interest still arises at the time of assessment. Issues surrounding the priority of tax liens and competing claims can be complicated. Advice/assistance from a tax attorney may be needed.

While an IRS tax liability starts as unsecured debt, the IRS can file a federal tax lien against a taxpayer’s property to secure the debt. A tax lien creates a legal claim against the property, giving the IRS the right to seize and sell it if the taxes remain unpaid. Even with a filed tax lien, the entire tax debt is not transformed into secured debt, but the lien does give the IRS a specific interest in that specific property.

The services I provide relate solely to tax debts. All references on this website are related to the resolution of federal or state tax liabilities. If you have other secured and unsecured debts, such as credit cards or personal loans, help is available. There are numerous attorneys and specialized debt-resolution companies to address those liabilities. 

Do your homework before selecting a firm to represent you!
I highly recommend you research any individual or firm BEFORE you commit to having them represent you in your IRS, FTB or other state tax agency audit, collection, or administrative appeal matter. You can delegate authority to have someone represent you. However, you are solely responsible for your IRS, FTB, or other state income or employment tax liability.

The Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance are two sources worth checking out. This is a link to my BBB profile. Be aware that many large firms have a high turnover of employees. Being shuffled among employees can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience for clients. Further, it can frustrate the IRS or State employees.

Accessibility.
Many of my clients are local (Santa Clarita, Saugus, Canyon Country, Valencia, Newhall, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Altadena, Van Nuys, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, and other Los Angeles County cities and valleys). However, many of my clients reside in other counties, states, and even internationally. I currently have a client in Oman! Today’s technology enables me to communicate effectively with clients remotely over the internet, including video conferencing.

Local clients can meet with me in my Santa Clarita office. I may be available to meet at their residences for local (relative to Santa Clarita) clients with mobility restrictions. Clients appreciate my accessibility and the fact that they ALWAYS have me assisting or representing them in their tax audit, collection, or appeals case, never a junior employee.

As mentioned before, time is of the essence when dealing with tax issues. Please call or email me promptly when you receive an IRS or state agency tax notice or letter. We need sufficient time to determine a course of action and to submit an effective and timely response.

Updated: 8/16/2025

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