(StraightShooterNews.com) – After IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler blew the whistle on major misconduct allegations in the long-drawn-out Hunter Biden tax case, they are now suing Hunter’s lead attorney for $20 million.
Shapley and Ziegler have accused Abbe Lowell of defaming them by allegedly making false accusations to the press.
Both men are seasoned special agents in the IRS Criminal Investigation division and are each seeking $10 million in damages.
They claim that Lowell wrongfully accused them of criminal behavior in their whistleblower disclosures.
According to their lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., they aim to “vindicate their reputations for the incredible and malicious harm they have suffered at the hands of Abbe Lowell.”
The lawsuit states:
“Biden’s attorney, Lowell, falsely and maliciously accused Shapley and Ziegler of committing crimes—namely, the illegal disclosure of grand jury materials and taxpayer return information—despite the fact that they never publicly discussed return information that was not already public.”
This comes after the agents lawfully released details about the slow-moving Hunter tax case, which they had both worked for years.
Hunter is currently suing the IRS over alleged illegal disclosures by the whistleblowers, who now seek to join the lawsuit to defend themselves.
Previously, Shapley and Ziegler testified before the House Ways and Means Committee that Justice Department officials had delayed and obstructed steps in the investigation to protect the Biden family.
Their disclosures significantly impacted the outcome of the Hunter investigation. In July 2023, a court rejected Hunter’s plea deal for two misdemeanor tax offenses and a single gun felony when Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the agreement’s generosity.
David Weiss, the Delaware U.S. Attorney who became special counsel after leading the failed plea negotiations, confirmed the validity of the whistleblowers’ claims in his testimony, as did other DOJ, IRS and FBI officials.
Their testimony was further supported by a House Republican report last year, which concluded that Justice Department officials had indeed given Hunter preferential treatment.
Recently, Hunter pleaded guilty to nine criminal tax charges in California, choosing a plea over a trial to spare his family another emotionally demanding court case.
Before the trial, Hunter’s lawyers unsuccessfully tried to have the charges dismissed, claiming Shapley and Ziegler engaged in outrageous government conduct.
Hunter’s sentencing for the tax offenses is scheduled for December.
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