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“U.S. tax authorities are expected to ‘very shortly’ launch another prosecution against a foreign bank similar to the tax evasion case they pressed against Switzerland’s UBS,” an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent was quoted saying earlier this week. “Linda J. Osuna, IRS Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office, told Reuters the expected U.S. case against the foreign bank, which she declined to name, would be for ‘the same behavior that got UBS in trouble’.”
Last year, UBS settled two U.S. government lawsuits against it over accusations that it had helped American citizens hide assets held in offshore accounts.
Osuna didn’t name the bank but it is very likely HSBC. That bank’s Political Action Committee has given $137,000 to members of congress in the current election cycle and more than $500,000 during the last election cycle.
Incidentally, well over half of the members of the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees received money from HSBC.
More from Ken Silverstein:
Commentary — July 25, 2012, 2:20 pm
Washington Babylon — September 29, 2010, 11:37 am


Amount of cash CNN reporter Peter Arnett says he wore sewn into his clothes while covering the Gulf War:

Babies prefer to look at attractive people.

A woman testified that prostitutes at the “bunga bunga” parties thrown by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi had dressed up as President Obama.
“This is the heart of the magic factory, the place where medicine is infused with the miracles of science, and I’ve come to see how it’s done.”