Homeland Security Whistleblower Claims Targeting by IRS

Retribution by audit

P. Jeffrey Black bumped up against his bosses in the Federal Air Marshal Service, eventually becoming a whistle-blower and testifying to a closed-door congressional hearing before his retirement in 2010.

He had taken a long list of complaints to lawmakers about how the air marshals service was run, ranging from problems keeping marshals on flights to allegations of ineptitude and favoritism by managers. The same year he retired, he appeared in "Please Remove Your Shoes," a documentary critical of the airline security measures travelers endure on every trip.

Then came the audit, which an Internal Revenue Service agent told him about the same day the movie premiered—"almost to the hour," he said.

The year-long investigation included the placement of a $24,000 lien against his home. In the end, the IRS found out Black owed them $480—while the government owed him $8,300.