IRS investigators Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler, who accused Hunter Biden of criminal tax evasion, filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit in Washington, DC, on Friday against First Sun attorney Abe Lowell.
They accuse Lowell of acting with “clear malice” in retaliating against the whistleblower by making defamatory statements to the media, accusing them of illegally leaking Hunter's personal tax information.
As a result of Lowell's comments, Shapley and Ziegler claim their reputations have suffered “incredible and malicious damage.”
“As whistleblowers, Messrs. Shapley and Ziegler acted with honor and integrity in exposing conflicts of interest, preferential treatment and political motivations that they reasonably believed were obstructing the criminal tax investigation of Hunter Biden,” the filing in the D.C. District Court said.
While the two men say they conducted their whistleblowing to Congress professionally and discreetly, Lowell “falsely and maliciously accused Messrs. Shapley and Ziegler of committing the crime of unlawfully disclosing grand jury materials and tax return information, even though they never publicly discussed any previously unreleased tax return information.”
A sweet plea deal between Hunter and Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss fell apart last year after Shapley and Ziegler went public with their concerns.
Their fears were realized last week when Hunter pleaded guilty to all felony tax evasion charges against him.
