A lawyer in the IRS ethics office has been accused of lying to a court-appointed board and hiding settlement money that belonged to two medical providers who had treated her client, the Washington Times reported. Now, she faces the possibility of being disbarred.

Takisha McGee, a section manager in the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility, faces the uncertainty of losing her law license over a charge that stems from a personal injury case she worked about a year before she joined the IRS tax agency, according to the disciplinary arm of the D.C. Court of Appeals.

In a phone interview Tuesday, McGee said her own job is on the line while she fights disbarment proceedings. "Does it keep me up worrying? Yes," she said. "As it relates to my job, may I possibly lose it? Yes, I face that fact each and every day."

The case could pose a credibility issue for the IRS, whose professional conduct office is the watchdog charged with ensuring all tax professionals "adhere to professional standards and follow the law," the Washington Times reported. But the office has still asked McGee to give professionals a lecture about the importance of maintaining high ethical standards. She had also recently given a speech to the Florida bar titled "When your license to practice before the IRS is on the line." 

However, McGee claimed that the IRS had been notified about her pending disbarment proceedings before assigning her with the lecture, calling the disbarment recommendation the result of a "one-time mistake."

But the D.C. Court of Appeals' board of professional responsibility did not seem too convinced. "In its 43-page report, the board detailed the personal injury case, which resulted in an $8,900 insurance settlement. But after receiving the settlement check, she failed to pay about $3,000 combined to two medical providers whom she was supposed to reimburse for treatment given to her client, according to records," according to the Washington Times.

"The board found McGee took $7,850 from an account set aside for her client's settlement through a series of 'counter withdrawals.' But other than $5,000 paid to her client, 'it is not clear where these funds went,' the board report stated."

Additionally, "the client said she couldn't reach McGee, who later testified that she'd shut down her fax and cellphone about month after getting the settlement because she'd received a tentative offer to work at the IRS. In 2011 the client wrote to the D.C. Bar requesting that any complaints or petitions against McGee be dismissed. However, the client later testified that she wrote the letter because McGee had asked her to drop the case and said that she would subpoena her cousin and godmother if the case went forward."

But later, McGee was accused of providing false testimony about her handling of the settlement money after the board found "clear and convincing" evidence during a hearing in the case. "There are no unique and compelling circumstances here that could justify reducing the recommended and presumptive sanction from disbarment to a lesser sanction," the board wrote in its ruling, which it made several months before McGee spoke before the Florida bar.

"In addition to intentionally misappropriating third-party funds, respondent also violated a number of other ethics rules and gave false testimony during the hearing," the board concluded.

Meanwhile, the disbarment charges have helped McGee understand the difficulties and experiences of other professionals facing disbarment or suspension proceedings. "As it relates to someone who is in a position in terms of giving advice to other practitioners, I tell them to watch what you're doing and be careful. You never know. If you don't know something, don't try to take it upon yourself. And if there are other issues going on, then definitely seek guidance."