The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has named longtime agency official Trish Turner as the new head of its crypto unit, following the abrupt departure of two key private-sector hires who played pivotal roles in building out the agency’s digital asset oversight strategy.
According to a report by Bloomberg Tax, Turner’s appointment comes amid an ongoing reshuffle within the IRS’s Office of Digital Assets—a division established to address the growing complexity of cryptocurrency taxation, enforcement, and compliance.
Trish Turner, a veteran of over 20 years at the IRS, most recently served as a senior adviser within the Office of Digital Assets. Her promotion signals a return to internal leadership after a year of experimentation with external industry expertise.
Her appointment follows the exit of Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee, former Executive Director of Compliance and Implementation, and Seth Wilks, former Executive Director of Digital Asset Strategy and Development. Both had joined the IRS from the private sector to help build the agency’s crypto enforcement framework but departed after just over a year. While Mukherjee confirmed his departure to Bloomberg, Wilks announced his exit publicly on LinkedIn. The reasons for their departures have not been disclosed.
The shakeup comes at a pivotal moment for the IRS, as it continues to scale its efforts in tracking and taxing cryptocurrency transactions. The agency has intensified audits and criminal investigations targeting crypto holdings and recently rolled out controversial crypto broker rules, which critics argue cast too wide a net and could harm innovation.
Turner’s deep institutional knowledge is expected to offer stability as the agency navigates mounting regulatory demands and evolving industry dynamics. Her leadership also coincides with a shifting political landscape, as the second Trump administration is anticipated to pursue more crypto-friendly policies, which may influence future enforcement priorities.
In a broader context, the IRS is also experiencing significant internal change. According to the report, more than 23,000 IRS employees have signaled their interest in early or deferred retirement under a Trump-era program, adding further uncertainty to the agency’s capacity for sustained regulatory action in the near term.
As the IRS repositions its digital asset strategy under Turner’s leadership, industry stakeholders will be closely watching for signals on how the agency plans to balance enforcement with innovation during this new chapter in U.S. crypto policy.
