O’Dell to serve as IRS Promoter Investigations Coordinator

IR-2020-41, February 24, 2020

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service announced today that Brendan O’Dell will serve as the agency’s new promoter investigations coordinator.

O’Dell, currently a senior advisor in the IRS Large Business & International (LB&I) Division, will coordinate promoter activity across the agency and will serve as the point person for Commissioner Chuck Rettig and IRS leadership on promoter investigations. He will serve in a temporary detail assignment as coordinator, and the IRS anticipates it will begin a national search in the near future for a person to permanently fill the position.

He will work with the IRS business units, the Office of Professional Responsibility, Criminal Investigation, Chief Counsel and other IRS offices to ensure coordination of ongoing investigations and develop new approaches to identify promoters of aggressive tax arrangements. O’Dell will also assist IRS business units in developing and resolving cases both individually and with a view toward strategic promoter enforcement.

“Brendan brings a strong set of skills and experience from inside and outside the IRS, which will be an asset in this important new position,” said Sunita Lough, IRS Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement. “He will play a leading role coordinating promoter investigations, an emerging priority concern for the IRS to help improve compliance and ensure fairness in the tax system.”

O’Dell will report directly to Lough’s office, beginning the assignment in early April.

In his current position, O’Dell advises the LB&I Commissioner on strategic issues impacting LB&I and supports the Director of LB&I’s Pass‐Through Entities Practice Area.

Prior to joining LB&I, O’Dell was an attorney‐advisor to the Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury from 2016‐2019. In the Office of Tax Policy, O’Dell was responsible for IRS procedure and administration issues and was the lead Treasury attorney responsible for the development of the regulations and other guidance implementing the Centralized Partnership Audit Regime enacted in 2015.

Prior to joining the Treasury Department, he spent a number of years in private practice, focusing on tax controversy and tax litigation. O’Dell received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S. from St. Lawrence University.

IR Press

Share
Published by
IR Press

Recent Posts

OCC Announces Enforcement Actions for November 2024

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today released enforcement actions taken against…

19 hours ago

Treasury Sanctions Gazprombank and Takes Additional Steps to Curtail Russia’s Use of the International Financial System

Treasury imposes sanctions on dozens of Russian banks, securities registrars, and finance officials; OFAC issues…

1 day ago

Acting Comptroller Testifies on State of the Federal Banking System

WASHINGTON—Acting Comptroller Michael J. Hsu today testified on the state of the federal banking system…

2 days ago

Remarks by Assistant Secretary for International Finance Brent Neiman on the U.S. Cross-Border Payments Agenda

As Prepared for Delivery Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today, and…

3 days ago

Remarks by Assistant Secretary for Investment Security Paul Rosen at the Third Annual CFIUS Conference

As Prepared for Delivery Good afternoon.  I’d like to start by thanking our panelists today for…

3 days ago