The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is undergoing a significant leadership shift in its cryptocurrency division as veteran IRS official Trish Turner steps in to take over the agency’s digital asset efforts. This transition comes in after the exit of two prominent crypto leads, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Trish Turner to Lead US’s IRS Crypto Unit
Turner assumed the role of a lead after Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee, a former executive at Binance, and Seth Wilks, who spearheaded crypto strategy and development, announced their exits. Both had joined the IRS from the private sector and played central roles in the agency’s push to enhance cryptocurrency oversight. Mukherjee served as Executive Director of Compliance and Implementation, while Wilks led strategic development within the Office of Digital Assets. Each of them had been with the agency for just over a year.
Turner, a two-decade IRS veteran, most recently served as a senior adviser within the same office and is expected to provide continuity as the agency continues to improve its approach to crypto taxation and enforcement.
When it comes to focusing on crypto, the IRS has significantly stepped up its efforts in recent years, increasing audits and criminal investigations while proposing reporting rules for crypto brokers. The DeFi broker rule, that has now been annulled, would have required decentralized platforms to collect and submit user transaction data, a demand critics argue clashes with the very structure of decentralized finance.
In a notable political development, the House of Representatives recently voted to repeal an IRS rule requiring certain cryptocurrency brokers to report transaction details. The bill, backed by a bipartisan coalition, was later signed into law by President Donald Trump, marking the first time a US president has enacted cryptocurrency-specific legislation. The law exempts DeFi platforms from some of the IRS’s more stringent data reporting requirements.
This shift comes amid other pro-crypto changes in federal policy. With a second Trump administration now in place, the crypto industry expects a more favorable regulatory environment. In fact, recently the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) ended investigation into several crypto firms including Yuga Labs, Kraken, Robinhood, and others, in line with the regulatory changes. The administration has reportedly begun getting feedback from the industry on which regulations should be scaled back. On the other hand, over 23,000 IRS employees have reportedly signaled interest in departing the agency under the renewed deferred resignation program.
