U.S. Treasury Manager Charged with Tax Evasion, Failure to File Tax Returns for Five Years

WASHINGTON - Edner Escarne, 52, a former manager at the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, was charged in an indictment unsealed today with four counts of tax evasion and five counts of failing to file a tax return.

Escarne, of the District of Columbia, was arrested at his residence this morning by agents from Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. At his first appearance this afternoon, Escarne was arraigned and pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey.

Escarne served as Director of Talent Acquisition between November 2017 through January 2025, at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). According to charging documents, for the years 2019 through 2023 which are at issue, Escarne received an aggregate government salary of over $1 million.

The indictment alleges that on at least four occasions Escarne submitted false Forms W-4 in which he falsely claimed that he was exempt from federal income tax withholding when, in fact, he was not entitled to claim exempt status. By claiming exempt status, Escarne caused the OCC to withhold little or no federal income taxes from his wages for the years 2019 through 2022.

In addition, the indictment alleges that Escarne did not timely file his taxes for the tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Treasury Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Santiago of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

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