Date: June 14, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) has appointed Ronald A. Loecker as Special Agent in Charge of its Tampa Field Office effective June 16, 2024. In this role, Loecker is responsible for planning, directing, and evaluating the activities of personnel who conduct criminal investigations into tax violations and financial crimes in the Middle and Northern Judicial Districts of Florida. This area stretches from Ft. Myers to Jacksonville and across the Panhandle to Pensacola. Prior to his selection, Loecker served as the Director of International Operations for the agency, where he supervised a staff deployed across the globe partnering with foreign law enforcement to combat global financial fraud schemes. Prior to that, he held a variety of leadership positions including Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office, Deputy Chief of Staff for CI in Washington DC, and Supervisory Special Agent in the former Las Vegas Field Office. Loecker began his career with CI in 2001 and, after being activated by his South Dakota Air National Guard unit following the attacks of 9/11, entered the field as a Special Agent in the Dallas Field Office. Since that time, he has also worked cases while assigned in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and Denver, Colorado. Loecker attended the University of South Dakota where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and criminal justice in 2001. “I’m thrilled by the opportunity to lead the men and women of CI’s Tampa Field Office as they continue to uphold our nation’s tax laws and battle financial fraud schemes in central and northern Florida,” said Loecker. “As members of the communities we serve, every employee in the Tampa Field Office is personally incentivized to make our communities safe and free from financial fraudsters. Our neighbors, friends, and family members all have the potential to become targets for scammers, so we will work diligently using all available resources to ensure they don’t fall victim to nefarious actors.” For Fiscal Year 2023, the Tampa Field Office obtained a 98.57% conviction rate on its cases. Of the 120 criminal investigations initiated by the Tampa Field Office, 88 were recommended for prosecution, and 68 cases have already been sentenced to an average of 52 months. Additionally, field office staff conducted seizures totaling approximately $22.5 million of illegal proceeds related to money laundering and other frauds.
