Chaka Fattah Jr. Sues the IRS in Probe

Chaka Fattah Jr. — the son of Congressman Chaka Fattah — is suing the IRS over a still-ongoing probe he says has smeared his name and made it impossible to do business. Philadelphia Business Journal reports:

On February 29, 2012, agents questioned Fattah at his home at the Residences at the Ritz Carlton in Center City about “alleged unpaid tax liabilities,” according to the complaint. Although the agents arrived at 6:20 a.m. and stayed until 7 a.m., photos of the officers ended up in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Fattah says that could not have happened unless the newspaper was tipped off by someone at the IRS.

“It’s implausible that the media company just happened to have a photographer outside of my building at that exact time,” said Fattah, who is seeking $928,000 in damages from the IRS.

Prior to the investigation, business had been booming for Fattah, who owns his own business consulting company. (One project was operating charter schools for disciplinary students). Revenues for his company hit $295,000 in 2010 and reached $341,000 in 2011, he said in an interview Thursday. Now, rather than living in luxury, he’s struggling to get work and facing lawsuits and liens on his debt.

Fattah’s father also is in distress; he said this month he is fighting a subpoena in an unspecified matter.