IRS Appoints Trish Turner to Lead Crypto Division Amid Key Resignations

Trish Turner to Head IRS Crypto Division The US Internal Revenue Service has named Trish Turner as the new leader of its digital assets division, following Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee and Seth Wilks’ departure. Turner is a 20-year IRS veteran and was formerly a senior adviser at the agency’s Digital Assets Office. Her timing is good as the IRS increases its focus on cryptocurrency compliance and navigates changing political tides in Washington. Leadership Shake-Up Amid Increased Crypto Oversight Mukherjee and Wilks, both hired from the private sector to bring experience to the IRS’s crypto enforcement, both quit May 5 after roughly a year on the job. Wilks, who led strategy and development, cited surviving at work and a difficult federal working environment as reasons for quitting. Mukherjee quit through a statement to Bloomberg Tax, and Wilks explained his reasons on LinkedIn. IRS Expands Crypto Enforcement In more recent times, the IRS has stepped up its enforcement efforts on the crypto space, undertaking further audits and criminal investigations into crypto asset transactions. Efforts to expand broker reporting requirements to crypto and DeFi exchanges were pushed back and then repealed under the Trump administration. One of those rules, intended to broaden reporting requirements to DeFi platforms by 2027, was criticized broadly for its potential effect on the sector. Washington’s Softer Crypto Stance Turner’s tenure starts during a wider federal movement toward lenience in digital asset regulation. The Trump administration has unwound several initiatives viewed as restrictive, such as suspending SEC enforcement activity and disbanding the DOJ’s crypto unit. Meanwhile, internal strife at the IRS is on the rise. Trump’s delayed resignation policy has prompted over 23,000 IRS employees to express interest in resigning, and the concern is that it will lead to morale and operating continuity problems. Turner’s appointment is also expected to put the agency’s crypto unit back on stable footing as it deals with both regulatory rebalancing and internal conflict.