The IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) division—yes, the tax guys with guns—is flexing its muscle after a decade of lean times. According to their latest report, they’ve added nearly 11% more staff, hit a 90% conviction rate, and reached staffing levels not seen since the good ol’ days of 2014. It turns out that when you give the IRS firepower and funding, they don’t mess around.

This fiscal flex came courtesy of the 2024 annual report, dropped on Dec. 5, where the IRS-CI showed off its accomplishments. Highlights included sentencing some bigwigs in syndicated conservation easement schemes (tax loophole shenanigans), charging someone with cryptocurrency tax fraud for the first time, and collecting a record-breaking financial penalty from Binance, the crypto world’s biggest player. Moral of the story: even virtual money isn’t safe from Uncle Sam.

IRS-CI now has 2,290 special agents packing heat, thanks to a hiring spree that brought on 146 fresh recruits. The total workforce? A beefed-up 3,474 employees. Compare that to the dark ages of 2010-2020, when the division shrank from 4,017 to 2,858 workers. Call it a glow-up funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act’s $80 billion infusion, even if $20 billion of that was later snatched back.

Chief Guy Ficco isn’t shy about the division’s ambitions. He says the modern criminal is a high-tech, crypto-loving scam artist, and IRS-CI’s expanded ranks are ready to fight back. They’re already delivering results: in 2024, they launched 2,667 investigations, nailed 1,571 convictions, and uncovered $9.1 billion in fraud. Oh, and they snagged $1.7 billion in court-ordered restitution and seized $1.2 billion in assets.

And because crime isn’t just a local pastime, the IRS-CI went global, opening a field office in the Bahamas and a cyber attaché post in Singapore. For 2025, they’re doubling down on high-tech crime busting and tax system integrity. Translation? Better keep your receipts—and maybe your lawyer on speed dial.