American tax officials

Chapter 101 You think you're so tough? Then arrest me!

Gray grew increasingly angry and retorted, "Fine, fine, Chief Tax Officer David, then it seems that from now on, your IRS will suffice in the Lake District. Our police department, city hall, and other departments won't need to get involved in anything else!"

His meaning was already quite clear.

So you think your tax bureau is so powerful? Then don't even think about getting our police station or any of the city hall's departments to cooperate on tax matters in the future!

Hearing such remarks, David became angry.

He was already annoyed that Gray had come to plead for Dieter, and now this was directly threatening their tax revenue.

This guy probably doesn't know what happened to the last CIA that threatened them.

Thinking of this, David picked up the phone on the table, answered it, and said, "Come to my office for a moment!"

Gray on the other side was completely dumbfounded when he heard this. What did that mean?

Before he could figure it out, Bucky burst through the door and asked David, "Tax Commissioner, you wanted to see me?"

David said emotionlessly, "Take Deputy Mayor Gray to our detention cell!"

Upon hearing this, Bucky was instantly stunned.

Gray, sitting opposite him, looked equally dumbfounded.

As the deputy mayor of Las Vegas, he may not be all-powerful here, but he certainly holds a high position of authority!

When he goes to different departments, they all treat him like royalty.

But now that he's at the IRS, not only are they giving him attitude, they're even trying to arrest him and put him in detention?

This is absolutely outrageous!

After a long pause, Gray finally came to his senses, stood up, pointed at David, and angrily shouted, "David, don't think you can act recklessly just because you're the IRS chief of staff! Let me tell you, I'm the deputy mayor of Las Vegas! If you dare to abuse your power to detain me, your Las Vegas precinct can forget about having any place here!"

David chuckled dismissively and replied, "Deputy Mayor Gray, do you think the IRS would arbitrarily abuse its power to detain people?"

"So what you're doing now, trying to detain me—isn't that an abuse of power?"

Gray still looked menacing, as if he wanted to devour David on the spot.

David ignored his gaze and slowly said, "On the 3rd of last month, you received $5, and then you used irregular approval methods to award a road project in the Lake District to the Bouani Road Engineering Group, right?"

"So, should I go and invite the group's CEO and relevant personnel back for a talk, and have them explain this matter in detail?"

Gray, who had been looking fierce, felt as if he had been hit in the heart by a heavy hammer after hearing these words, and he instantly felt a little short of breath.

After a long pause, he finally realized what was happening and feigned anger, retorting, "What illegal methods? What Bouanni Road Engineering Group? I don't know what you're talking about. Don't make baseless accusations. How could the city hall accept bribes and abuse its power for personal gain!"

"Fine, since you say this is baseless slander, then I won't discuss this case anymore!"

"On December 7th, your city hall needed to purchase a batch of equipment, and Dingbang Equipment Company from the Lake District contacted you and slipped you $20,000. Surely that's not embezzlement?"

Upon hearing this, Gray felt as if he had been struck by a hammer in the chest, and if one looked closely at his legs, one could see that they were even trembling.

"If you still insist it's slander, that's fine too!"

You're probably familiar with Lynch Aldridge, the antique dealer from the Lake District, aren't you?

"He has already paid his taxes to the IRS, which I think you know. And you received $10 in asylum fees from him on the 28th of last month, which I think he hasn't forgotten. Should we invite him over to talk to you?"

The appearance of Lynch's name completely shattered Gray's psychological defenses.

When the IRS approached Lynch, Lynch had come to him, hoping he could help mediate.

However, he knew the IRS was difficult to deal with, and Lynch's influence wasn't enough to make him put in such a lot of effort, so he directly refused.

The result was that Lynch paid his taxes to the IRS and got his information filed.

If the IRS were to find Lynch and ask him to explain the details of their relationship, there's no doubt that Lynch would confess honestly!

Even if he, the deputy mayor, had eight mouths, it would be difficult for him to explain himself clearly!

"As a public official, you were fully aware that you were abusing your power to make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month under the tax reform law, yet you didn't report it to the IRS. Now we're detaining you, what's the problem? Is this still an abuse of power on our part?"

David's words brought Gray, whose mind was in turmoil, back to his senses.

But he couldn't understand how the IRS had investigated his situation so thoroughly.

But thinking about it now seems pointless.

He felt deep regret at that moment.

I regret that I should have refused when Congressman Strong called to ask me to come forward; I shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

Given his position as deputy mayor, even if the National Taxation Bureau had already obtained so much information about his tax evasion, the relationship with the city hall wouldn't necessarily lead to such a tense situation between the two parties.

Now look what's happened! Not only have they lost face, but if he gets thrown into the IRS's detention room, the city hall will also lose face.

If the media finds out, it will cause an even bigger uproar!

Gray grew increasingly frightened, forcing a smile as he said, "Tax Chief David, I was only thinking of the city hall's work, and my words were a bit harsh. I apologize for that; it was just a misunderstanding..."

David found this somewhat amusing.

Misunderstand?

Why didn't you just say it was a misunderstanding?

Now that I've compiled the tax evasion documents, it's become a misunderstanding?

"Deputy Mayor Gray, I've already made myself very clear. Our IRS doesn't investigate wrong people or abuse its power, so..."

David paused, then gave Bucky, who was standing to the side, a look.

Bucky immediately understood and walked over to Gray, saying, "Excuse me, Deputy Mayor Gray, please!"

Seeing that David showed no sign of backing down, Gray panicked and quickly changed his tune, saying, "Tax Chief David, extremists like Dieter should be severely punished. On behalf of City Hall, I support your IRS's measures!"

He's barely able to take care of himself right now, so he doesn't care about anything like Dieter.

"Vice Mayor Gray, you're a person of status. Don't force me to do it myself!"

Bucky realized that David had no intention of backing down, so he continued to drive Gray away.

Gray gritted his teeth and said, "Tax Chief David, I'm willing to pay your taxes and file your documents, is that alright?"

"Deputy Mayor Gray, voluntarily paying taxes to us and being forced to pay taxes to us are not the same thing!"

Even now, David still has no intention of going after Gray to the bitter end.

After all, no matter what, the two sides only had a conflict, and it hadn't reached the level of a life-or-death struggle like with Dieter.

Therefore, as long as Gray is willing to pay taxes, he will not kill him.

However, since Gray dared to plead for Dieter at the IRS, he definitely deserved to be taught a lesson!

For example, send him to the detention room.

This also sends a signal to the outside world: anyone who dares to plead with the IRS for Dieter will suffer the same fate!

"Tax Chief David..."

"take away!"

David didn't give Gray another chance to speak.

Bucky didn't care about anything else and immediately grabbed Gray.

Gray, used to a life of luxury, was no match for Bucky, a burly man with a Marine background, and was dragged out of the office in just a few steps.

The inspector's office is on the third floor.

The place was bustling with activity, but when Bucky appeared carrying Gray, everyone froze in place as if under a spell.

As the deputy mayor of Las Vegas, the inspectors were certainly no strangers to Gray.

But what exactly is going on with this deputy mayor?

Why does it look like he's a prisoner, being held back by Bucky?

Before they could even react, when they saw Bucky driving Gray toward the detention cells, everyone's hearts were once again filled with shock.

Detention cells have always been the treatment for criminals.

When did a deputy mayor of a city have to be locked up in a place like this?

The last time CIA agents were put in detention, the investigators were also greatly shocked.

But those were just CIA agents, and they couldn't compare to the impact of a deputy mayor!

All the inspectors looked at each other, wanting an answer.

However, since this had just happened, no one knew what had happened.

Fourth floor, near the director's office.

"Come in!"

Ottilia rushed in, her expression hurried, and said quickly, "Chief, something's gotten into Chief Tax Officer David's case; they've actually put Gray in our detention cell!"

"What did you say?!"

William, who had been looking down and writing on documents, suddenly raised his head, looking incredulous.

"I said, Deputy Mayor Gray was taken to the detention center by Tax Chief David!"

"Oh shit, what's going on!"

William finally realized what was happening, and his tone was somewhat exasperated.

Gray is no small fry; he's the deputy mayor of Las Vegas. And now the IRS has put him in jail. If they don't give a reasonable explanation, even the IRS will be in deep trouble!

After all, the city hall isn't one to be trifled with!

Ottilia shrank back and replied weakly, "I don't know yet either!"

William immediately stood up and practically ran out of the office, heading towards where David was.

But before he had run halfway, he bumped into David, who was coming from the opposite direction.

William disregarded all other questions and went straight to the point: "I heard you threw Deputy Mayor Gray into detention. What exactly happened?"

"I was just about to report this to you, Chief. Here's what happened..."

David first told Gray that he had asked him to downplay Dieter's matter, which he refused. Then Gray brought up the issue of the city hall and various departments not cooperating with tax collection efforts.

William was not satisfied with these words and said, "He's the deputy mayor of the city hall. Even if he's threatening us like this, we can't be so direct. That would be..."

"What if he evaded taxes!"

William, who was about to launch into a long speech, instantly forgot what he was going to say upon hearing this and hurriedly asked, "He evaded taxes? You have evidence?"

"Chief, do you remember Lin Qi?"

"Lin Qi... isn't that the antique dealer?"

During the last assessment period, Lin Qi generated over 100 million in tax revenue for their Lake District branch. William still remembered this level of criminal.

"He has a vested interest in this Gray!"

"Are you sure what you're saying is true?"

Lin Qi has already been entered into their Lake District branch's database, which, in a sense, means he is now at their mercy.

If Gray really has a vested interest in him, then with just one word from the IRS, Lynch will have no choice but to obediently step forward and act as a witness!

But the prerequisite is that the two people must have a genuine relationship of interest!

"Of course I'm sure. Besides Lynch, I also have information on his connections with many companies and groups in the Lake District. Otherwise, how could I dare to throw a dignified deputy mayor into a detention cell?"

William agreed.

During these past few assessment periods, David has handled almost every case perfectly, leaving no room for criticism. How could he possibly have suddenly lost his mind?

It seems his worries were completely unnecessary!

"In that case, you did a great job. You taught Gray a lesson and also served as a warning to the person who invited him to act as a mediator!"

William had figured out David's intentions.

"Yes, I did intend to use Gray to warn those forces that wanted to help Dieter escape punishment, so they would stop wasting their time and have no choice but to hand him over!"

William nodded and said, "Grey only needs a lesson to learn. Don't escalate the situation. It's more effective to subject him to the restrictions of our IRS than to bring him down!"

First, as long as Gray doesn't fall, the IRS will collect an extra amount of tax revenue every month.

Secondly, Gray was the deputy mayor.

Once they're in the IRS's file, they'll definitely not go against the IRS anymore and will obediently cooperate with their tax work.

This is much more effective than letting him fall and then appointing a new deputy mayor!

David replied, "Don't worry, Chief, I know what to do!"

William seemed to have thought of something and remarked with a sigh, "Last time it was the CIA, and now it's this Deputy Mayor Gray. Well done, Tax Chief David, you really have a way with people!"

William now admires David more and more.

It's one thing to deal with criminals cleanly and efficiently, but to perform like this when facing figures of the CIA and City Hall level is simply unbelievable.

He now increasingly felt that quickly promoting David to the position of tax chief was the wisest decision he could have made!

"Alright, there's still a lot to deal with in Dieter's case. You can go ahead and get busy!"

……

City Hall.

"What did you say? Gray was put in a detention cell by the IRS?"

As a member of parliament, Strong had experienced countless ups and downs, but he was still shocked to hear that Gray, whom he had sent to lobby the IRS, had been imprisoned.

That's the deputy mayor of a city!

How dare the IRS do this?

If they don't give a reasonable explanation, do they think the Lake District IRS can continue operating in Las Vegas?

"I couldn't believe it when I first received the news, but after thinking about it and gathering information from various sources, I think the Lake District IRS must have been absolutely certain that they could lock up Gray. Senator Strong, this is a serious problem..."

The words coming from the other end of the phone brought Strong back to his senses, and he fell into deep thought.

Thinking about it carefully, that makes sense.

If they weren't absolutely certain, how could the National Taxation Bureau personnel dare to lay a hand on a dignified deputy mayor?

Unless the entire leadership of the IRS has gone insane!

But is that even possible?

It's obviously unlikely!

If the IRS dared to shut down Gray, what was their biggest reason?

Of course, it couldn't be about pleading for Dieter. Although Dieter was someone the IRS wanted to arrest, simply pleading for him wouldn't constitute any illegal behavior.

Then there's only one possibility: the IRS must have caught Gray doing something wrong with his tax records!

But what Strong couldn't understand was...

He just sent Gray to the IRS. Even if the IRS had extraordinary abilities, it's impossible for them to have evidence of Gray's tax evasion so quickly.

unless……

The IRS had been secretly investigating Gray for a long time and even obtained evidence of his tax evasion, but they had kept quiet until Gray came to their door today, and that's when they finally fell into the trap!

Thinking about this, Strong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If Gray was already being watched by the IRS, then wouldn't he also be being watched by the IRS?

"Congressman Strong, are you still listening?"

The voice on the other end of the phone snapped Strong out of his daze. He said, "The IRS won't do anything to Gray. Go to the Lake District IRS office, find out what's going on, and try to get him out of there!"

Strong's ability to become a congressman shows that his intelligence is beyond that of ordinary people.

He knew very well that if the IRS had something on Gray, they wouldn't go all out against him; they just wanted to give those of them who were interfering in the Dieter case a warning.

After all, a deputy mayor who is controlled by the IRS is much more useful than a newly appointed deputy mayor!

"Congressman Strong... going is fine, but regarding Dieter's matter... I won't say anything more, is that alright?"

Gray ended up in this state just because he went to the IRS to plead for Dieter, and the person on the other end of the phone was naturally afraid of repeating the same mistake.

"You just need to take care of Gray's matter; nothing else matters!"

"Okay, I understand!"

After ending the call, Strong immediately put on his suit jacket, then called his driver and headed towards the Indian reservation.

About 40 minutes later, Strong arrived at the chief's house in the reservation.

"Mr. Congressman..."

As soon as Strong got out of the car, a young Native American man stationed there immediately went up to ask him something.

"Tell Chief Gar that I want to see him!"

"Please follow me, Mr. Congressman!"

The young man led Strong to the hall where they had spoken that morning, and then said, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Councilor, I will go and inform the Chief!"

It takes about 10 minutes.

Garr and other high-ranking Indian officials, including Twen, arrived at the scene, and Dieter was also among them.

Seeing Strong's grim expression, the group of Native Americans suddenly sensed something was wrong. Garr was the first to ask, "Consul Strong, what happened?"

Strong glanced at Dieter first, then said, "Regarding your people's affairs, I'm afraid I'm afraid I can't help you with that!"

One of the deputy mayors has already fallen into trouble.

He didn't know if he was being investigated by the IRS, so the best option now was to back off first to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Upon hearing this, all the Native Americans present turned pale, and Dieter among them looked particularly anxious.

As the effects of the banned drugs wore off, his mind became much clearer.

Now that even a high-ranking member of parliament has said he can't help, he feels that the seriousness of the matter is growing.

Garr asked in a deep voice, "Congressman Strong, what exactly happened?"

"As you wish, I've already sent someone to the IRS with conditions to try and downplay the matter, but..."

Strong immediately told Gray about being thrown into a detention cell by the IRS.

After hearing the whole story, the Native Americans present were dumbfounded.

It's true that they weren't fully aware of the weight of the IRS, but they were quite clear about the weight of a deputy mayor.

But now, a deputy mayor went to the State Taxation Bureau to try to resolve the matter, but was thrown into jail by the people at the State Taxation Bureau.

They would never have believed it if Strong hadn't told them himself.

Meanwhile, Dieter's feelings were even more complicated.

He originally thought his style of doing things was domineering enough, but he didn't expect that he was nothing in front of the State Taxation Administration.

After all, he still had a certain amount of awe when facing someone like the deputy mayor.

But the IRS showed no respect whatsoever, not even a shred of courtesy, and simply threw him into a detention cell.

"Congressman Strong, this...this is unlikely. He's a deputy mayor, how can the IRS be so brazen?"

Twen realized what was happening and asked with a hint of doubt.

Strong glanced at him and said, "If the IRS dared to take down a deputy mayor like this, they must have been absolutely certain of success. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to handle the consequences. There's no doubt about that!"

"this……"

Twen was speechless for a moment, then said, "Then, Congressman Strong, is there any other way we can try? We can't just give up like this, can we?"

Strong was somewhat displeased by these words and replied, "I have no other choice. If this continues, I might get dragged into it too!"

At this point, he looked at Dieter and said, "To put it simply, when the IRS comes to you demanding taxes, just pay them and that's it. Why resist? They'll only take 4% of your income at most; you'll still make a profit!"

"Even if you don't hand it over, it doesn't matter. At most, they'll just arrest you. But the biggest mistake you made was choosing such a foolish method as assassination!"

Today's chapter is over 6000 words long, but something came up so I can only update this one day. See you tomorrow, brothers!

(End of this chapter)