LV man impersonated IRS agent, officials say

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999 | 10:45 a.m.

The United States Attorney's office is pressing charges against a Las Vegas man accused of impersonating a federal employee in order to retrieve stereo and sound equipment in a business dispute.

Bon R. Hill, 32, is charged with pretending to be an Internal Revenue Service criminal investigator, a spokesman for the Department of the Treasury said.

Authorities believe Hill faxed a threatening letter on July 28 to Majestic Management Co. of Calif., which was in possession of the sound equipment. The fax was on what appeared to be IRS letterhead and named Hill as a special agent.

"It looks like he got the letterhead off the IRS website and cut and pasted to make his fax," Terry Peacock, special agent in charge of the Department of Treasury's Denver field office, said. "This incident is a little comical, but not for him I guess."

Hill was arrested in Las Vegas on Sept. 15 by Metro Police on a routine traffic stop. He told the arresting officer he was a special agent for the IRS, Peacock said.

Hill reportedly was wearing a polo shirt with an IRS logo on it when he was pulled over, but he couldn't provide a driver's license or special agent credentials.

According to the criminal complaint Hill told investigators he was "getting no cooperation from Majestic," and " hoped to get the equipment back because it was worth money."

Peacock said Las Vegas is no stranger to fraud by people claiming to be with the IRS.

"Las Vegas has been a real hotbed because of the telemarketers," Peacock said. "We've had cases of telemarketers claiming to be from the IRS and saying they were collecting for the IRS.

"This incident was a little different because he impersonated an agent and took the time to scan things off his computer and dummy up the letter."