DC Tax employees help themselves to $20M

Two employees of the District's Office of Tax and Revenue in charge of tax refunds had been issuing illegal checks amounting to $20 million for the past six years that were cashed by friends and family.

Harriette Walters, pictured above with her attorney, Peter Ziedenberg, appeared before Magistrate Judge Alan Kay yesterday. Walters, an $81,000 a year tax assessment manager, was wearing a red, over-sized  Atlanta "Hard Rock Cafe" sweatshirt - probably not one of the $1.4 million worth of items she purchased at Neiman Marcus.

Also charged is Diane Gustus, seen below with her attorney A. Scott Bolden, a co-worker of Walters.

Washington Post story here.