Rebecca Hartong <rhartong@cox.net> wrote in message news:<BA38F57E.1185B%rhartong@cox.net>...
> > One would think Martin would have looked into this before going to such
> > effort, so I hope he can answer that question. It might be an unresolved
> > question and it might be that the issue has come up before and been decided.
> > I wouldn't think it would really matter who provided information of criminal
> > activity except insofar as it might determine how much weight the agency
> > would give it.
> That sounds about right to me, too, but we both know how the infinite wisdom
> of our government sometime manifests itself... ;-)
> > If Martin doesn't know, I might look into it further if it seems important.
> I wonder what the usual follow-up procedure is on these kinds of things.
> Does the agency receiving the complaint have any legal obligation to
> respond--even if it's only to say "we're not interested"? If there's an
> obligation, does it only apply to complaints from citizens?
>
> (I don't expect you to know the answers to these questions...just asking
> rhetorically.)
In December 2001 I went to the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. There was a reception area. I asked the lady at the desk if it was possible to report someone directly to an US Attorney if one believes someone is involved in a federal crime. She said that I could file a "Citizen Complaint" and handed me a form to filled out.
I asked her if I could file it even if I were German and would not live in Los Angeles. I think she then asked somebody else and answered me back that I could indeed.
The fact that both offices (in Los Angeles and Tampa) actually acted upon it and forwarded it both independently to the IRS makes it clear too, that it is possible to file it, even as a non-resident and non-US citizen. The form also did not exlude non-residents or non-US citizens.
The good thing about the LA and the Tampa office is that their policy requires to give the "citizen" an answer if the complaint has been forwarded or not.