Locked In with Ian Bick

Robert Nordlander spent over 20 years as a special agent with IRS Criminal Investigation — investigating complex criminal tax and money laundering violations, working undercover operations, executing search and arrest warrants, and building the cases that sent tax evaders and money launderers to federal prison — and in this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he finally tells the complete truth about what that career really looked like from the inside. He shares what cases the IRS Criminal Division actually goes after and prosecutes, what it actually takes to put someone in prison for taxes, the different types of money laundering he investigated, why small business owners evade taxes more than anyone else, how cases came to him and what the investigation process actually looked like, some of the most significant cases of his career, and what the new world of influencers and social media income is producing in terms of tax crime that most people never see coming.
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#irs #taxes #truecrimestories #accountant #cops 
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Thank you to CASH APP for sponsoring this episode:
Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ksjh06pb  #CashAppPod
Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.
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Connect with Robert Nordlander:
Website: https://www.nordlandercpa.com/
Buy his books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Nordlander/author/B0BMZT4CNK?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=a4257f70-b089-4db0-8020-c9bd7e35d743
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
 https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Meet the Ex-IRS Agent
00:21 Growing Up and Early Career
02:00 From Chips to IRS Agent
03:48 The CPA Advantage
05:40 IRS CI Origins and Its Role
06:34 Stationed in Alabama
07:19 Dad's Blessing and Career Shift
09:03 First Case: Identity Theft
10:50 The IRS 'Funny Box' Explained
12:05 Tax Protesters and False Refunds
13:37 Sentencing for Tax Protesters
14:59 Statute of Limitations for Tax Crimes
15:38 Hiding Income: The Small Business Owner
16:36 How Agents Find Cases
18:40 Data Mining for Evasion
20:47 The Value of IRS CI to Prosecutors
21:09 Drug Dealers and Tax Returns
22:12 Civil vs. Criminal: Making the Call
24:30 Choosing Cases Worth Prosecuting
25:40 Cash App Sponsorship
27:40 Dollar Amounts Drive Cases
29:34 Most Common Businesses for Fraud
30:42 Contractor Cash Schemes
31:32 Investigating Contractor Fraud
32:51 Why Celebrities Don't File
34:14 The Tax Gap and Who's Responsible
35:30 Are Business Owners Honest?
36:50 Influencer Tax Issues
38:12 The Fiji Hotel Example
39:22 Influencer Contracts and Tax
40:20 Ignorance and Willfulness
41:30 Influencer Cases and Richard Hatch
43:08 Tax Preparer Liability
44:42 Return Preparers: No License Needed
45:29 Preparer Mistakes vs. Crimes
46:53 Abuse of Earned Income Tax Credit
48:55 What Happens to the Clients?
50:00 When to Tell a Subject They're Investigated
51:42 Undercover Work and Surveillance
55:27 Common Lies from Suspects
57:37 Finding the Second Set of Books
58:26 Pissed-Off Partners as Informants
58:49 State vs. Federal Cases
01:00:35 The Length of Federal Investigations
01:01:36 Finding Bank Accounts
01:03:40 Using Flight Rosters as Leads
01:05:27 Structuring: The $10,000 Myth
01:07:19 A Surprising Case: Murder and Taxes
01:12:28 Expectations of Repayment
01:13:12 Most Egregious Money Hiding
01:15:40 PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App
01:17:52 Money Laundering Evolution
01:20:51 Cryptocurrency and the IRS
01:24:17 Unreported 1099 Income
01:26:46 Tips and Minor Tax Evasion
01:27:43 Is the System Fair?
01:29:00 The Tax Boycott Myth
01:31:00 Tax Protesters Are Filing
01:34:19 Jury Trials and Complex Cases
01:37:52 Testifying and Simplifying for Juries
01:42:10 Winning at Trial: The Odds
01:44:00 Robert's Role as a Consultant
01:45:58 Retiring from the IRS
01:47:53 Life on the Defense Side
01:52:56 IRS Layoffs and Efficiency
01:56:58 The Most Important Lesson
01:58:52 Truth Has Many Friends
02:00:18 Final Thoughts and Resources
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Michael Wayne grew up in Mississippi, attended the Naval Academy, left after his father died, built a career in business and investments while running a hedge fund for fifteen years, spent twenty-five years as a clandestine CIA contractor operating across some of the most sensitive and most dangerous missions available — and then went to Ukraine after the 2022 Russian invasion to organize humanitarian aid, evacuate women and children from combat zones, train Ukrainian soldiers, and deliver equipment to the front line before discovering widespread corruption tied to Ukraine aid that he says reached powerful US politicians. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what twenty-five years as a CIA contractor actually looked like from the inside, what changed after 9/11 in the intelligence world, what the Ukraine work actually involved, what the corruption he discovered actually implicated, and what the DOJ prosecution that followed his decision to push back against that corruption actually produced — including a wire fraud conviction, a federal prison sentence at FPC Montgomery, and what he believes was a deliberate government effort to make him a convicted felon before he could become a whistleblower.
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 #TrueCrime #espionage #cia #prisonstory
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Thank you to CASH APP for sponsoring this episode:
Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ksjh06pb #CashAppPod
Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.
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Connect with Michael Wayne:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialmichaelwayne/
Website: https://officialmichaelwayne.com/
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and Guest Introduction
01:31 Family and Entrepreneurship
05:00 The Call to the Naval Academy
12:42 The Challenges of the Naval Academy
15:17 Leaving Annapolis After Two Years
17:51 The Tragic Loss of His Father
21:41 The Funeral and a Call from the Captain
24:23 Choosing Family Over Country
28:55 Rethinking Leaving Annapolis
31:14 The Plan to Return Falls Apart
36:24 The Decision to Stay Out of the Military
37:57 Mississippi State and Running the Family Business
41:17 Sponsor Break: Cash App Security
44:27 College Life and Degrees
55:36 Buying Properties and Developing a Strategy
01:00:20 Moving to Atlanta and Sports Betting
01:03:30 The Unexpected Call from an Agency
01:08:40 The First Interview for a CIA Contractor
01:14:40 The Path to Becoming a Contractor
01:19:03 Interviews and the Training Invitation
01:24:05 Paramilitary Training and Selection
01:29:07 Understanding Classification and Compartmentalization
01:34:55 The Intensity of the Initial Training
01:39:19 Field Exercises and Testing Survival Skills
01:47:26 The Importance of Knowing Your Limits
02:01:20 Working as a Paramilitary Contractor
02:04:20 A Career of Off-the-Books Missions
02:07:09 Getting Shot and the Impact of 9/11
02:12:30 The Post-9/11 World and the War on Terror
02:24:03 A Screenplay That Predicted 9/11
02:31:10 Transitioning to a New Role and Grad School
02:37:50 Living as a NOC (Non-Official Cover)
02:42:10 The Intensity of the NOC World 
02:47:51 Running a Hedge Fund as Cover
02:57:21 Making Money and Helping a Nonprofit
03:02:41 Volunteering in Ukraine After the Invasion
03:05:00 The Corrupt Side of Humanitarian Aid
03:10:34 Protecting Aid and Empowering People
03:15:14 The Hidden World of Powerful Elites
03:21:18 Learning You're a Target
03:28:08 The Plan to Discredit Him
03:34:55 A New SEC Inquiry and the Missing Questions
03:39:01 The Target Letter and the DOJ
03:44:37 Attempting to Investigate the Management Company
03:50:59 The Reverse Proffer: The DOJ's Show of Force
03:57:20 Realizing the System Can't Be Beaten
04:01:44 The Threats That Forced His Hand
04:03:42 The Strategic Choice to Plead Guilty
04:08:35 The Courtroom Deal and Sentencing Guidelines
04:12:00 The Aftermath of the Guilty Plea
04:16:08 The Hit to His Reputation
04:18:24 The FBI Agent and the Press Release
04:22:47 Dealing with the PSR and Sentencing
04:27:44 The Leak and the Fallout
04:31:14 The PSR: A Document Full of Falsehoods
04:35:35 The Sentencing Hearing
04:40:20 The Judge's Unusual Statement
04:45:36 Getting a Year and a Day
04:50:00 A Trip to Federal Prison Camp
04:56:30 The Confusing Charges and the Real Crime
05:04:20 The Plea Deal and the Missing Documentation
05:09:30 The Sentencing Hearing and a Shoutout to the Judge
05:12:10 The Camp: A Place for the Forgotten
05:16:08 Life After Prison and the Supervised Release
05:21:01 The CIA and the Burning of Bridges
05:25:20 Finding a New Path Post-Prison

Dr. Michael Zhang is a PhD psychologist whose work focuses on gambling addiction and behavioral change in the modern digital environment — and in this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he tells the complete truth about what gambling addiction really is, why it starts, how online gambling and sports betting have created the most dangerous and most accessible addiction environment in history, what it actually takes for someone to finally get help and enter recovery, and what the psychological reality of rebuilding looks like for the people who make it through.
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#gambling #casino #psychology #addictionrecovery
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Connect with Dr. Michael Zhang:
Website: https://incumental.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmikezhang
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mikezhang 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmikezhang
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmikezhang
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
 https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction: Meet Dr. Michael Zhang
00:18 Dr. Zing's Background and Path to Gambling
01:15 Getting Into Gambling Treatment
03:47 Defining Gambling Addiction
06:13 Recreational Gambling vs. Addiction
06:55 Gambling in Prisons
12:22 The Gambling Industry's Reach
13:20 Prediction Markets: A New Gambling Front
14:17 Celebrities and Influencers Promoting Gambling
19:00 Understanding the Gambling Mode
20:55 Activating the Gambling Mode
23:10 Ian's Story: When Gambling Becomes Survival
24:29 The Birth of a Gambling Mode
26:00 Big Wins and the Illusion of Freedom
29:27 Naming the Gambling Mode
33:59 Naming the Recovery Mode
36:00 Gambling vs. Building a Life
38:28 The Elusiveness of Gambling Wins
41:40 Fake Wins and Real Worth
46:48 Rebuilding and Walking Away
53:20 The Message of Thanks and Goodbye
57:57 A Message to the Younger Self
01:04:09 Gambling and Suicidal Thoughts
01:07:14 Activating Recovery Mode
01:10:01 Supporting Loved Ones with Gambling Addiction
01:12:34 The Ripple Effect of Gambling
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Danny Walsh grew up in Texas with a mother consumed by addiction and a father who was never in the picture — and when he and his brother essentially raised each other as teenagers on their own the path toward trouble found them both before anyone was old enough to stop it. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares how an early sentence in the Texas Department of Corrections led him to become a peckerwood and join one of the most notorious prison gangs in the Texas system before a federal conviction in his early 20s handed him 25 years and sent him into the most brutal maximum security federal penitentiaries in the United States. He opens up about becoming a shot caller — the power, the rules, the violence and the politics that position actually involves — what spending years in solitary confinement did to him mentally and what the PTSD that prison produced has made reacclimating into society nearly impossible in ways that the system that put him there has done almost nothing to address.
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#shotcaller #federalprison #truecrimestories
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Thank you to HIMS & FACTOR for sponsoring this episode:
Hims: Visit https://hims.com/lockedin to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
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Factor: Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until!
_____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Growing up in a rough Houston neighborhood
04:08 Early drinking and harmful experiences
06:06 Normalizing poverty and abuse
06:55 Time in isolation and breaking down demons
08:15 Fighting to stay un-institutionalized
09:59 The dangers of accepting prison as home
10:40 A bus station lesson in institutionalization
11:40 Refusing to accept a prisoner's life
12:52 Youthful dreams of the military and football
13:48 Arrested and learning the code
15:15 Brother's tough lessons on loyalty
16:32 Drug use and the cycle of incarceration
17:42 Facing federal charges and refusing to snitch
19:43 The deal is a lie: 25-year sentence
22:20 Betrayed by a lawyer and becoming hardened
24:39 Why the excessive sentence?
25:45 Rejecting the state's offer on principle
28:01 Adapting from state to federal politics
29:49 TDC initiation: riots and lockdown
34:05 Surviving lockdown and a cell fire
36:15 Joining a Texas prison gang
38:08 Your gang arrives in the feds
39:37 Taking control and building respect
41:07 The lie of gang philosophy
44:32 The failure of the prison system
46:40 Fighting for resentencing and 11 years over time
48:42 Release: 23 years later and a new world
52:35 Initial struggles with a changed society
54:55 Getting a job and building a new life
58:02 Fired by the state for tattoos
01:00:49 The struggle for identity and self-love
01:02:55 Jail habits that persist
01:04:24 Why not join another white gang?
01:05:43 Misconceptions about white inmates
01:08:12 A fight for respect over a TV
01:13:40 Relationships with other races and gangs
01:18:00 Prison economy and cross-racial business
01:20:18 How did you become a shot caller?
01:23:56 Dispensing justice and avoiding trouble
01:27:10 Sex cases and the white racial code
01:30:40 The meaning behind prison tattoos
01:34:38 Regretting gang involvement and ink
01:36:43 The origins of the Woods and Texas gangs
01:40:22 Are all white guys 'peckerwoods'?
01:41:06 Why did you stay in the gang in the feds?
01:42:08 Treachery within your own ranks
01:45:39 Can the BOP eliminate gangs?
01:49:10 Why the feds keep you divided
01:55:20 The burden of being a shot caller
01:59:40 Becoming an animal and losing yourself
02:02:50 The mental toll and nightmares of prison
02:05:28 Learning to keep your word and integrity
02:08:48 Feeling compelled to violence
02:11:10 Coping with the trauma of solitary
02:14:24 The need for prison reform and support
02:18:15 Released with no help or programs
02:23:52 Job struggles and endless punishment
02:29:36 The ongoing stigma of a felony
02:32:26 Corrupt guards and a lack of control
02:36:10 The chaos of maximum-security life
02:39:20 Debunking the 'sit to pee' myth
02:43:04 You were left alone and the system failed you
02:45:40 Learning to navigate prison safely
02:48:00 Proving yourself and survival instincts
02:50:07 Good guys in bad gangs
02:53:35 A close call with a conspiracy to kill you
03:00:52 Saved from a plot and changing your ways
03:03:39 Why are you here and how did you survive?
03:04:48 The struggle to find a job after power
03:06:48 Women and bad company send men back
03:08:23 Finding peace in a wine bar
03:10:12 Learning to love yourself and move on
03:12:42 Cherishing freedom and family
03:16:32 Advice to your younger self
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Erico Montalvo grew up in Rhode Island without a father in the picture and a mother too consumed by the streets to be present — and by the time the system found him he had already cycled through juvenile detention multiple times and built an identity that the streets had shaped long before he was old enough to understand where that path was going. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what happened just days after he turned 18 — an accidental altercation with a veteran that turned into a self-defense situation that ended in the veteran's death — and what being charged with murder instead of recognized as a victim of circumstance actually produced over the ten years he spent fighting his case from inside a Rhode Island county jail before finally taking a manslaughter plea deal and accepting a 13 year sentence.
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 #prison #selfdefense #truecrimestories
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Thank you to FACTOR & HIMS for sponsoring this episode:
Factor: Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until!
_____________________________________________
Hims: Visit https://hims.com/lockedin to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
_____________________________________________
Connect with Erico Montalvo:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RicoStillMadeit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ricostillmadeit/
Website: https://linktr.ee/Ricostillmadeit
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00
Guest Introduction
00:22 Early Life in Providence
02:00 Mother's Mental Health & Upbringing
03:13 Father's Deportation
05:00 Feeling Like an Outsider as a Kid
07:36 First Wrong Turns & Finding Identity
10:31 Gang Culture in Providence
16:00 Homelessness & Juvenile Detention
19:27 Getting His GED in Juvenile
21:00 Sponsor Segment: Factor Meals
23:07 Turning 18 & a Spiritual Warning
28:00 Close Calls on the Streets
30:40 The Night of the Incident
37:22 Fight, Stabbing, and Escape
43:03 Learning the Victim Died
43:50 Realizing the Victim Was a Veteran
47:00 Hiding Out and Seeking Help
50:03 Getting Arrested
52:54 Interrogation & Initially Charged with Murder
01:00:00 First Lawyer & a Broken System
01:05:59 Meeting Dawn Huntley, a New Lawyer
01:09:32 Adapting to Prison Life
01:13:00 Finding Faith in Prison
01:21:00 Starting to Turn His Life Around
01:30:00 Facing a 60-Year Offer
01:37:00 COVID Stalls the Case
01:41:00 Considering Trial
01:49:00 A Shocking Plea Deal: 25 Years with 3 to Serve
 01:55:50 Walking Through the Sentence
02:03:11 Release and Adjusting to Freedom
02:08:00 Finding Purpose and New Community
02:14:20 No Regrets and a Mission
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka