Attorney Says Convicted Former Senator Being Singled Out To Pay $3M To IRS

By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Former State Senator and convicted felon Vince Fumo is fighting IRS attempts to take $3 million of his wealth.

A federal civil action filed on Fumo's behalf this week suggests the government is singling him out for draconian and unfair treatment because it wanted a longer prison sentence than the 61 months ultimately imposed for his fraud convictions.

The IRS claims Vince Fumo owes about $3 million in taxes, interest and penalties.

His attorney Mark Cedrone disputes that, but says the civil action is about the government's efforts, through a rarely used technical process, to claim that money before the dispute is settled.

"The evidence seems to suggest that there is some effort to just treat him differently because of who he is, or the results of his criminal case that they are not happy with, but he is certainly being singled out without just cause," says Cedrone.

He suggests, in the civil action, prosecutors may have improperly influenced, or attempted to influence the IRS in dealing with Fumo, who is expected to be released from prison in a matter of months.

The U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment. The IRS was closed Friday because of sequestration cuts.