Cop Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Still Owes IRS from 2019

Updated

A settlement is in the works between the government and the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by Capitol Police Officer Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd on January 6, 2021. He was negligent in the use of force, did not identify himself as a police officer, and Babbitt was an unarmed threat.

Byrd, then promoted to Captain at a salary of about $200,000 a year, has still not paid the debt to the I.R.S., which would now be over $90,000, with penalties and interest added.

With a substantial number of new Internal Revenue agents, surely one can go after Capitol Police Captain Michael Byrd for the $56,365.71 he has owed the IRS since 2019—Case No. FL19-1594. A recent call to Prince George’s County Courts, MD, confirmed that the lien is unpaid.

A news article finally identified Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd of Brandywine, MD, seven months after he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021. The Babbitt family attorney, Terry Roberts, said that if Byrd were White, instead of Black, he would have been identified immediately. He said race was “clearly a factor” in hiding Byrd’s identity.

Byrd told fellow officers the next day that he would be treated differently because of his rank as a lieutenant. And he was. He was not fired as he should have been.

But he had problems before that. In 2019 Byrd was the commander of the House Chambers section of the Capitol Police. He made news when he left his loaded firearmin a public visitor’s center bathroom. His Glock-22 had no manual safety to prevent unintended firing. That made the incident particularly concerning. The gun was discovered later in a routine check by another officer.

I stumbled across this tax deadbeat while working with author Jack Cashill in my role as a licensed private investigator. Although the court tax filing listed Byrd’s previous address, those crack IRS investigators should have found him as easily as I did. If they contact me, I’ll be happy to share his new address.

After he shot and killed 14-year Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021, Byrd had plenty of opportunity to save money. Documents obtained by Judicial Watch show that then Lieutenant Byrd and a pet stayed in a “Distinguished Visitor Suite” at the Presidential Inn at Andrews Air Force Base from July 8, 2021, through January 28, 2022, which cost the taxpayers about $30,000. While living off the largess of the taxpayers, Byrd also collected $164,211 through a GoFundMe account. Defendants accused in the Capitol riot turned to Christian sites to raise money for legal fees.

Other interesting court filings for Byrd include two bankruptcies and two foreclosures. His 1999 Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged all his debt. In 2009 Byrd filed for Chapter 13, which allows people to make payments on debts, but changed that to Chapter 7 to rid himself of those responsibilities. According to bankruptcy court documents, his income for 2009 was $142,144.

The Trustee’s Final Report showed he paid $14,547 to clear debts of $1,237,680.00. Lawyers will be relieved to know that the trustee got her $2,393 fee from that amount.

He lost his house to the bank and the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Fund lost $20,555 for a car they financed. Despite foreclosures and bankruptcies, Byrd was able to purchase a $520,000 house in 2019.

In a primetime interview with Lester Holt, Byrd said: “I was very afraid that day.” Very. Afraid. The fearsome Ashli Babbitt was 5’2”, weighed 115 pounds and was unarmed.

A photo shows Byrd waving his gun around in the House chamber before he even went into the lobby where he killed Babbitt. Lawyer Terry Roberts, said: "If I was a congressman, I'd be very concerned about him carrying a gun around me.”

“I tried to wait as long as I could,” Byrd told Holt. “I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.”

Afraid or not, Byrd was promoted to captain with a salary of around $200,000 a year. Perhaps he will now be able to pay the IRS.

Susan Daniels has been a licensed private investigator for thirty years and uncovered Barack Obama’s use of a stolen social security number. It is documented in her book, The Rubbish Hauler’s Wife versus Barack Obama, which is available at Amazon.com.