The Internal Revenue Service is conducting training simulations for college accounting students to recruit new agents.  

“It’s an ability for us to teach them about a case and for them to see from the beginning to the end what an investigator does,” Manuel Gomez, assistant special agent for Charge in New York, said.

The training is a part of Citizen Academy, which is run by the IRS Criminal Investigation division.

In a day long event, current and former IRS special agents teach students about forensic accounting, including how to follow a paper trail and hunt down those involved in funneling money to terrorists.

“Have a confidential informant that comes in and speaks to students and gives an allegation of a complex terrorism financing scheme,” Joseph Foy, an assistant professor at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, said. “They go and interview a mock tax preparer and they look through fictitious bank records.”

They also get some physical training since IRS agents with the criminal investigation division do make arrests.

“It’s a very in-depth job and if you don’t know what you are doing you could get hurt, you make a mistake, catch the wrong person,” student Joseph Burawa said.

“This will help me to become an accountant, especially forensic account and persevere with the opportunities I have,” student Kelly Gacio added.

Students from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Brooklyn College and the CUNY School of Professional Studies participated in Citizen Academy at a recent training session.  

At least one trainer at the event was a former student.

“One of my students just reminded me today that she is an agent, she is here teaching others actually about some of the opportunities that they can have in this field,” Calvester Legister, assistant professor at John Jay College, explained.

Some of the people already in the field and helping train students in the Citizen Academy were personally impacted by the Sept. 11 terror attack. 

Leonard Hatton’s father worked for the FBI and died in the World Trade Center. One of the reasons he joined the IRS is to help track down terrorists and other financial criminals.

“I’m serving the American public, but at the same time, I’m serving my friends and I’m serving my family by making sure there is law and order,” Hatton said.

“Super important, I think it really gives students some fantastic exposure to the whole process,” student Robert Struble said. “It really gives insights into this potential career.”

The IRS Citizen Academy goes around the country to colleges to seek recruitment.The IRS currently has openings for forensic accountants.