Three former Department of Revenue employees, Jarredd McQueen, Demarys Natal, and Nicole Mixon were charged with soliciting and accepting bribes totaling approximately $57,900.
PHILADELPHIA – After a joint investigation by the City of Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, three former Department of Revenue employees, Jarredd McQueen, Demarys Natal, and Nicole Mixon were charged with soliciting and accepting bribes in connection with their employment.
Jarredd McQueen, 50, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by information with a single count of federal program bribery. He was employed as a Customer Collection Representative for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Revenue when he allegedly accepted $9,000 of bribes in connection with his work.
Demarys Natal, 56, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by information with a single count of federal program bribery. She was employed as a Customer Collection Representative for the City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue, Major Tax Unit, when she allegedly accepted $26,600 of bribes in connection with her work.
Nicole Mixon, 44, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by indictment with a single count of federal program bribery. She was employed as a Customer Collection Representative for the City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue when she allegedly accepted $22,300 of bribes in connection with her work.
As Department of Revenue employees, McQueen and Mixon accessed the Taxpayer Information Payment System (“TIPS”), a computer system the City of Philadelphia uses to track the status of various financial obligations. The financial obligations include real estate taxes, refuse (i.e., trash) fees, and small business fees, that are owed to the City of Philadelphia. McQueen and Mixon used TIPS to adjust outstanding balances after meeting with taxpayers about money they owed to the City of Philadelphia.
McQueen and Mixon used their official positions collecting monies owed to the City of Philadelphia as an opportunity to enrich themselves while depriving the City of Philadelphia of money owed to it by certain taxpayers. McQueen allegedly erased a $5,644.88 trash fee in exchange for a $1,500 cash bribe. And, the indictment alleges that Mixon erased a $1,210 trash fee in exchange for a $800 cash bribe.
As an employee of the Department of Revenue, Major Tax Unit, Natal collected delinquent business tax payments and associated fees tied to Philadelphia properties. The collection efforts required Natal to meet with, and correspond with, taxpayers about their outstanding debts. Natal used her official position collecting monies owed to the City of Philadelphia as an opportunity to enrich herself. Natal allegedly accepted two $500 money orders for erasing $10,000 in fees associated with business taxes on a Philadelphia property. Natal deposited the $500 money orders into her bank account with the memo section reading for work done on “Repair/Remodeling” and for “Flooring.”
“The alleged actions of these individuals are simply unacceptable, but this case is also about the Revenue Department’s commitment to the taxpayers of Philadelphia. Here, the department’s internal controls flagged irregularities, and they were staunchly committed to the enforcement process from start to finish,” said City of Philadelphia Inspector General Alexander DeSantis.
About the Office of the Inspector General
The mission of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is to enhance public confidence in the integrity of City government by rooting out corruption, fraud, misconduct, waste and mismanagement. For more information, visit: www.phila.gov/ig.