Robert Johnson

IRS- Program Manager, CommunicationsOffice of Professional Responsibility

Robert Johnson will open the 2011 Long Island Tax Professionals Symposium with the Keynote Address on Wednesday morning, November 17.

Mr. Johnson began his IRS career as a Revenue Officer in 1983.  He soon transferred to the position of Criminal Investigator/Special Agent with the U.S. Inspection Service, IRS Internal Security Division (subsequently the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) where he spent approximately 16 years.  This period included, among others, a role as: Classroom Instructor/Certified Firearms Instructor - Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Advanced Undercover Cadre, and Assistant Special Agent-In-Charge in MD, DC, NC, and WA.   Mr. Johnson has conducted or supervised hundreds of criminal investigations across the U.S. and abroad involving tax practitioners, tax preparers, or others seeking to corrupt, intimidate, or interfere with tax administration, including investigations in Mexico, Germany, Israel and numerous others in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  His investigations led to criminal convictions for a variety of offenses including bribery, embezzlement, false statements, impersonation, threats & assaults, and other criminal activity impacting the IRS and IRS employees, including a precedent setting case involving the kidnapping of an undercover CI agent by several foreign nationals.  

Mr. Johnson joined the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) during the establishment of that office in early 2003.  Mr. Johnson helped design, establish and subsequently manage OPR’s first Case Development & Licensure Branch.   He’s now engaged in a variety of responsibilities on behalf of OPR’s Director involving all facets of OPR.  This entails interactions with all components of IRS as well as other agencies including DOJ, GAO and TIGTA. Over the past year, he’s been increasingly involved with implementation issues surrounding the Commissioner’s Return Preparer Review.  

Mr. Johnson has testified in U.S. District Court as an expert witness on IRS operations assisting agencies/organizations such as OPR, CI and TIGTA.  He earned a B.A. in Behavioral and Social Sciences from the University of Maryland where he majored in Law Enforcement and Psychology.    

Nonie Manion

New York State  Department of Taxation and Finance, Director of Tax Audits

Nonie Manion has been the Director of Tax Audits since 2004. During her tenure, the Audit Division has undergone a culture shift - - away from a focus on immediate revenue collection goals to one which also takes the benefits of audit, non-filer detection and enforcement activities on future voluntary compliance into account when making business and resource allocation decisions. During this time period the Department has been successful in litigating combination issues, pursuing tax shelters and obtaining legislation to close loop holes. Nonie has been a strong supporter of the Department’s efforts to increase its enforcement efforts which have included the deployment of special investigations teams in the Department’s district offices. She has championed the use of technology, such as the Division’s highly successful Case Identification and Selection System (CISS), to automate processes and increase audit effectiveness and efficiency in a time of limited resources.

Nonie is a graduate of Siena College. She is active in the North Eastern States Tax Officials Association (NESTOA) and the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA). Previous positions with the Department include stints as the Director of the Compliance and Audit Systems Division and Director of the Taxpayer Services and Revenue Division.