An IRS Criminal Investigation agent says agency officials disclosed his tax-return information and protected employment records to the Justice Department in retaliation for whistleblowing and criticism of agency leadership. Those are allegations in a newly filed lawsuit, not findings that a disclosure occurred or that it was unlawful.
What the lawsuit alleges
Brian J. Visalli, an IRS Criminal Investigation special agent, filed Visalli v. Internal Revenue Service et al., No. 1:26-cv-12139, on October 2, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Law360 reported the filing and case details on October 5, 2026. Bloomberg Law reported that the defendants include the IRS and Treasury Department.
As described in those reports, Visalli alleges that IRS officials disclosed confidential tax information and protected personnel or disciplinary material to DOJ. He says the disclosures were retaliation for whistleblower complaints and criticism of agency management. The allegations have not been established by a court, and the available reporting does not verify how any information reached DOJ. Law360’s October 5 report and Bloomberg Law’s October 3 report describe the complaint.
What information is said to have been shared
The complaint, as summarized in the reporting, concerns two categories: Visalli’s tax-return information and employment-related records, including personnel or disciplinary information. That distinction matters: the allegation is broader than a disclosure of tax data alone. The reports do not independently establish what records were disclosed, who disclosed them, or the precise route by which they allegedly reached DOJ.
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Why the complaint connects the claim to DOJ
The complaint reportedly says that, in an October 2024 conversation, an Assistant U.S. Attorney told Visalli that DOJ Tax personnel considered him “Giglio impaired.” The term refers to a prosecutor’s concern that information about a law-enforcement witness may need to be disclosed to the defense because it could bear on the witness’s credibility. The complaint reportedly infers that IRS-CI personnel were the route through which protected information reached DOJ. That proposed path is an allegation, not independent proof that the IRS made a disclosure or that the information caused the reported assessment. Bloomberg Law’s account attributes the description to the lawsuit.
The separate dispute over Visalli’s tax returns
The lawsuit comes amid a distinct employment matter. Bloomberg Law reported that about six months before the suit, the IRS moved to fire Visalli, alleging that he had failed to file accurate tax returns for three years. Visalli reportedly disputed the charges and said amended returns showed the government was not shorted money. The reported positions do not establish whether the returns were inaccurate or how the disciplinary matter was resolved.
These are separate issues: the IRS’s reported allegations about Visalli’s own returns do not prove or disprove his claim that agency officials retaliated against him, and the retaliation allegations do not resolve the employment charges.
What is—and is not—established about the legal claims
The reporting identifies a civil privacy and retaliation dispute, but the precise causes of action, statutes cited, and relief Visalli seeks have not been verified from the complaint. The case number and filing date are reported by Law360; Bloomberg Law reports Treasury as a defendant. The underlying complaint and a primary court docket record were not available in the reporting reviewed, so readers should not infer a particular statutory violation or remedy.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA September 8, 2026 D.C. Circuit opinion discussing 26 U.S.C. § 6103(i)(2) describes a route for disclosing return information to another federal agency for specified non-tax criminal investigations, subject to request requirements. That general provision does not establish whether it applies to the facts alleged by Visalli. The D.C. Circuit’s opinion is legal context, not a ruling in this case.
Case status
As of the latest reporting cited here, published October 5, 2026, no post-filing ruling or docket update had been verified. The court has not been shown to have decided whether information was disclosed, whether any disclosure was retaliatory, or whether Visalli is entitled to relief.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Reported background on Visalli’s work
Bloomberg Law also reported that the complaint describes Visalli’s involvement in investigations concerning wealthy Americans using Puerto Rico’s Act 60 tax incentives and Maltese retirement accounts, as well as his criticism of the agency’s handling of significant abusive tax-scheme investigations. Those details are background claims reported from the lawsuit, not independently verified findings about the investigations or the agency’s conduct.
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