{"id":26744,"date":"2026-09-02T10:20:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/tax-evasion-defense-lawyer\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:20:54","slug":"tax-evasion-defense-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/tax-evasion-defense-lawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax Evasion Defense Lawyer: What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After 32 years of IRS work \u2014 and more than $100 million in resolved tax debt \u2014 I&#039;ve seen just about every version of the problem you&#039;re dealing with. I&#039;m Darrin Mish, a tax attorney in Tampa. Here&#039;s what you should know.<\/p>\n<p><!-- mish-intro-v1 --><\/p>\n<p><strong>I&#039;m Darrin Mish. Tampa tax attorney, 32 years in, more than $100 million in IRS debt resolved.<\/strong> What follows isn&#039;t theory &#8211; it&#039;s what I&#039;ve actually watched work.<\/p>\n<p>Most people who owe the IRS don&#039;t face criminal charges. The Service prefers collecting money to building prosecution cases. But when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/compliance\/criminal-investigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">IRS Criminal Investigation<\/a> comes knocking, you&#039;re not dealing with collection agents anymore. You&#039;re dealing with special agents who carry badges, guns, and the authority to build felony cases. That&#039;s when you need a tax evasion defense lawyer who knows how federal prosecutors think and what they need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n<h2>What Counts as Tax Evasion Under Federal Law<\/h2>\n<p>Tax evasion is a felony. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/26\/7201\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">26 U.S.C. \u00a77201<\/a> defines it as willfully attempting to evade or defeat tax. That sounds broad because it is. The statute covers both evasion of assessment (filing false returns, hiding income) and evasion of payment (concealing assets after you already owe).<\/p>\n<p>The government has to prove three elements. First, a tax deficiency exists-you actually owe money. Second, you committed an affirmative act of evasion. Third, you acted willfully. That third element is the battleground in most criminal tax cases.<\/p>\n<h3>The Willfulness Requirement<\/h3>\n<p>Willfulness means you knew you had a legal duty and intentionally violated it. Negligence isn&#039;t enough. Confusion about the tax code isn&#039;t enough. The prosecution must show you knew what the law required and chose to break it anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Common affirmative acts that prosecutors point to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keeping two sets of books<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Concealing income in nominees or shell entities<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Making false statements to IRS agents<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Destroying records<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Dealing heavily in cash to avoid paper trails<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Making a mistake on your return doesn&#039;t make you a criminal. Filing a false return while hiding offshore accounts in a nominee&#039;s name? That&#039;s a different conversation entirely.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/xqvnmkjynbkcujcrtubi.supabase.co\/storage\/v1\/object\/public\/article-images\/b833a10a-7ca7-4ef4-8c09-ad347fccdf78\/inline-1-1788343521579.jpg\" alt=\"Elements of tax evasion\"><\/p>\n<h2>When IRS Criminal Investigation Gets Involved<\/h2>\n<p>IRS-CI doesn&#039;t waste time on small mistakes. Their conviction rate runs above 90 percent because they only prosecute cases they&#039;re confident they can win. If a special agent contacts you, assume they&#039;ve already gathered substantial evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Criminal investigations usually start one of four ways:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Referral from an IRS civil auditor<\/strong> who spots indicators of fraud<\/li>\n<li><strong>Information from third parties<\/strong> (whistleblowers, ex-spouses, business partners)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parallel investigations<\/strong> with other agencies (FBI, DEA, FinCEN)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data analytics<\/strong> flagging patterns (large cash transactions, offshore account disclosures)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once CI opens an investigation, you&#039;re under no obligation to talk to them. In fact, you shouldn&#039;t. Anything you say can turn a civil problem into criminal charges or make existing charges worse. Hire a tax evasion defense lawyer before the interview happens.<\/p>\n<h3>The Difference Between Civil and Criminal<\/h3>\n<p>Civil tax cases are about money. The IRS assesses what you owe, adds interest and penalties, and pursues collection through <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/tax-liens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">liens<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/tax-levies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">levies<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/wage-garnishment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wage garnishment<\/a>. You can negotiate <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/installment-agreements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">installment agreements<\/a> or an <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/offer-in-compromise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Offer in Compromise<\/a>. It&#039;s unpleasant but transactional.<\/p>\n<p>Criminal tax cases are about prison. Conviction under \u00a77201 carries up to five years per count, plus fines up to $250,000 for individuals. The sentencing guidelines calculate loss amounts based on unpaid tax, and higher losses drive longer sentences. Financial penalties don&#039;t end the problem-you still owe the underlying tax debt, with interest compounding while you&#039;re incarcerated.<\/p>\n<h2>What a Tax Evasion Defense Lawyer Does<\/h2>\n<p>A tax evasion defense lawyer sits at the intersection of tax law and criminal defense. You need someone who understands both the Internal Revenue Code and federal criminal procedure. Most criminal defense attorneys don&#039;t know tax. Most tax attorneys don&#039;t handle criminal cases.<\/p>\n<p>Your lawyer&#039;s first job is damage control. If you haven&#039;t been charged yet, a voluntary disclosure might stop prosecution before it starts. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/irm\/part4\/irm_04-063-003r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">IRS Voluntary Disclosure Practice<\/a> allows taxpayers with unreported income to come forward, file corrected returns, pay the tax and penalties, and often avoid criminal charges. Timing matters. Voluntary disclosure works only before the IRS discovers the problem independently.<\/p>\n<h3>Building Your Defense<\/h3>\n<p>If charges are already pending or likely, your lawyer builds a defense strategy. That might mean:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Defense Strategy<\/th>\n<th>When It Applies<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Lack of willfulness<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Good-faith misunderstanding, reliance on bad advice from accountant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>No affirmative act<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Passive failure to file vs. active concealment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Advice-of-counsel<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Followed professional guidance, even if wrong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Statute of limitations<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Six years for criminal tax charges (vs. three for civil)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/tax\/foia-library\/criminal-tax-manual-title-page-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">DOJ Criminal Tax Manual<\/a> lays out how prosecutors evaluate these cases. They look for badges of fraud: consistent understatement of income, failure to cooperate, concealment of assets, dealing in cash. Your lawyer&#039;s job is to show those badges don&#039;t fit, or that the government can&#039;t prove willfulness beyond a reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/xqvnmkjynbkcujcrtubi.supabase.co\/storage\/v1\/object\/public\/article-images\/b833a10a-7ca7-4ef4-8c09-ad347fccdf78\/inline-2-1788343521569.jpg\" alt=\"Criminal defense strategy\"><\/p>\n<h2>The Investigation Process<\/h2>\n<p>Federal tax investigations move slowly. Months, sometimes years. CI agents subpoena bank records, interview witnesses, execute search warrants, and review years of financial documents. They&#039;re looking for patterns that prove willfulness and evasion.<\/p>\n<p>During this phase, your lawyer controls communication. You don&#039;t talk to agents. You don&#039;t try to explain. You don&#039;t hand over documents without counsel reviewing them first. Cooperation sounds appealing, but anything you say or produce can become evidence.<\/p>\n<h3>Grand Jury and Indictment<\/h3>\n<p>If the investigation progresses, the U.S. Attorney&#039;s Office presents evidence to a grand jury. Grand juries are one-sided. No judge, no defense lawyer, no cross-examination. The prosecutor shows evidence, and the grand jury decides whether probable cause exists to indict.<\/p>\n<p>An indictment isn&#039;t a conviction, but it&#039;s serious. Once indicted, you&#039;re arrested, arraigned, and the case moves into the criminal justice system. Most tax cases resolve through plea agreements before trial. The government has the resources and the evidence; very few defendants win at trial.<\/p>\n<h2>Sentencing in Tax Evasion Cases<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ussc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/pdf\/guidelines-manual\/2024\/GLMFull.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Sentencing Guidelines<\/a> calculate recommended sentences based on tax loss. Larger losses mean longer sentences, though judges can depart from the guidelines. Cooperation, acceptance of responsibility, and lack of criminal history reduce sentences. Sophisticated concealment and obstruction increase them.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#039;s how loss amounts map to base offense levels:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Tax Loss<\/th>\n<th>Base Offense Level<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Less than $6,500<\/td>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>$6,500 \u2013 $17,000<\/td>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>$17,000 \u2013 $42,500<\/td>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>$42,500 \u2013 $120,000<\/td>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>$120,000 \u2013 $550,000<\/td>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Over $3.5 million<\/td>\n<td>26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Enhancements add levels. Using sophisticated means (offshore accounts, shell companies) adds two. Obstructing justice adds two. Being in a leadership role adds levels. Each level increases the recommended sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Your tax evasion defense lawyer negotiates with prosecutors before sentencing. That might mean cooperation, restitution, or demonstrating mitigating factors that warrant a downward departure. After 32 years, I&#039;ve seen judges show leniency for first-time offenders who accept responsibility and pay restitution. I&#039;ve also seen them impose harsh sentences for defendants who lied, concealed, and showed no remorse.<\/p>\n<h2>Parallel Proceedings and Collateral Consequences<\/h2>\n<p>A criminal tax case doesn&#039;t pause your civil tax liability. The IRS collection division keeps working. You still owe the taxes, penalties, and interest. In fact, a conviction makes civil resolution harder because you&#039;ve lost negotiating leverage.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fincen.gov\/resources\/statutes-regulations\/guidance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">FinCEN guidance<\/a> explains how financial institutions report suspicious activity. Large cash transactions, structured deposits, and offshore transfers trigger reports that feed into criminal investigations. Money laundering charges often accompany tax evasion charges when the concealment involves financial institutions.<\/p>\n<p>Professional licenses are at risk. Lawyers, CPAs, doctors, and other licensed professionals face disciplinary proceedings after criminal convictions. Businesses lose government contracts. Immigration consequences hit non-citizens hard-tax evasion is a crime involving moral turpitude, which triggers deportation and bars reentry.<\/p>\n<h2>When to Hire a Tax Evasion Defense Lawyer<\/h2>\n<p>Hire before the interview. If a CI special agent contacts you, politely decline to speak without counsel and <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/contact-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">get representation immediately<\/a>. Early intervention gives your lawyer time to assess exposure, gather documents, and potentially negotiate a resolution before charges are filed.<\/p>\n<p>Hire if your accountant or bookkeeper is under investigation. The IRS often starts with preparers and works up to clients. If someone who prepared your returns is being investigated, assume you&#039;re on the radar.<\/p>\n<p>Hire if you&#039;ve received a grand jury subpoena. That means a prosecutor is already building a case. You need a lawyer who understands both tax and criminal procedure, not just one or the other.<\/p>\n<h3>What to Look for in Counsel<\/h3>\n<p>Experience with IRS-CI matters. Federal tax prosecutions follow different patterns than state crimes. The lawyer needs to understand tax loss calculations, sentencing guidelines, and how prosecutors evaluate cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Look for someone who&#039;s handled voluntary disclosures, negotiated plea agreements, and tried cases before federal judges. Ask about results in cases similar to yours. After three decades representing taxpayers, I can tell you that cookie-cutter approaches don&#039;t work. Each case turns on its specific facts, and the defense has to match.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/xqvnmkjynbkcujcrtubi.supabase.co\/storage\/v1\/object\/public\/article-images\/b833a10a-7ca7-4ef4-8c09-ad347fccdf78\/inline-3-1788343521609.jpg\" alt=\"Hiring tax counsel\"><\/p>\n<h2>Voluntary Disclosure as a Defense Strategy<\/h2>\n<p>If you have unreported income or unfiled returns and the IRS hasn&#039;t contacted you yet, voluntary disclosure can prevent prosecution. The IRS Voluntary Disclosure Practice requires you to come forward before the government discovers the problem, truthfully disclose all unreported income, and cooperate fully.<\/p>\n<p>You&#039;ll owe the tax, interest, and civil penalties-often 75 percent fraud penalty on top of the underlying tax. But you avoid criminal charges. For someone facing potential prison time, paying steep penalties is the better outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Voluntary disclosure doesn&#039;t work if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The IRS has already started an investigation or audit<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A criminal investigation has begun<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The disclosure relates to illegal source income<\/strong> (drug proceeds, embezzlement)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Timing is everything. The longer you wait, the higher the chance the IRS finds the problem first. Once they do, voluntary disclosure is off the table. At that point, you&#039;re defending a criminal case instead of preempting one.<\/p>\n<h2>How Prosecutors Build Tax Evasion Cases<\/h2>\n<p>DOJ Tax Division attorneys build cases methodically. They start with financial evidence: bank records, credit card statements, asset purchases, and income sources. They compare what you reported to what you actually earned. The gap between the two is the deficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Next, they prove evasion acts. That might be testimony from witnesses, emails showing you knew about unreported income, or expert analysis of how you concealed assets. Structuring deposits under $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements is direct evidence of evasion. So is lying on loan applications about income while reporting less to the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, they prove willfulness. That&#039;s often the hardest element, but it&#039;s also where defendants make the most mistakes. Talking to agents without a lawyer, admitting you &quot;should have known,&quot; or trying to explain away discrepancies usually strengthens the government&#039;s case.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Tax Evasion Schemes Prosecutors Target<\/h2>\n<p>Some patterns draw immediate scrutiny. Offshore accounts have been a focus since the 2009 UBS scandal and continue to generate prosecutions. If you have unreported foreign accounts, file FinCEN Form 114 and report the income. Failing to do so invites both civil and criminal penalties.<\/p>\n<p>Payroll tax evasion hits business owners hard. When you withhold taxes from employees but don&#039;t remit them to the IRS, that&#039;s called trust fund recovery. The government views that as stealing from employees, and prosecutors push for jail time. We&#039;ve helped business owners resolve <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/payroll-taxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">payroll tax problems<\/a> before they turn criminal, but once charges are filed, options narrow.<\/p>\n<p>Cryptocurrency creates new avenues for evasion. The IRS asks every year on Form 1040 whether you had virtual currency transactions. Lying on that question while concealing crypto gains is both tax evasion and perjury. The blockchain is permanent, and the IRS has tools to trace transactions. Hiding crypto income is harder than people think. If you need help with <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/cryptocurrency-taxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency tax issues<\/a>, address them before they escalate.<\/p>\n<h2>The Role of Cooperation in Criminal Tax Cases<\/h2>\n<p>Cooperation reduces sentences. If you provide substantial assistance to the government in prosecuting others, prosecutors can file a 5K1.1 motion for a downward departure. That&#039;s most common in cases involving multiple defendants-business partners, accountants who prepared false returns, or organized schemes.<\/p>\n<p>But cooperation has limits. You can&#039;t cooperate your way out of every case, and cooperation requires full disclosure. If you lie or hold back information, you lose the benefit and often face obstruction charges.<\/p>\n<p>Your tax evasion defense lawyer evaluates whether cooperation makes sense. In some cases, the better strategy is challenging the government&#039;s evidence and forcing them to prove willfulness. In others, cooperation and restitution offer the best path to a reduced sentence.<\/p>\n<h2>Defending Against Badges of Fraud<\/h2>\n<p>Prosecutors look for badges of fraud to prove willfulness. These are behaviors that suggest intentional evasion rather than innocent mistakes. Your lawyer&#039;s job is to rebut them or show they don&#039;t apply.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Common badges and defenses:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Substantial understatement of income<\/strong> \u2192 Reliance on accountant, incomplete records, not intentional concealment<\/li>\n<li><strong>Failure to maintain adequate records<\/strong> \u2192 Disorganization, not evasion<\/li>\n<li><strong>Concealing assets in nominees<\/strong> \u2192 Legitimate asset protection, disclosed to accountant<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dealing in cash<\/strong> \u2192 Industry norm (construction, restaurants), not evasion<\/li>\n<li><strong>Failure to cooperate with IRS<\/strong> \u2192 Advice of counsel, not obstruction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each case is different. The government might have strong evidence of one badge but weak evidence of others. Your lawyer picks apart their case, challenges their evidence, and builds alternative explanations for the conduct they&#039;re pointing to.<\/p>\n<h2>Statute of Limitations in Criminal Tax Cases<\/h2>\n<p>The government has six years to indict you for tax evasion, measured from the date the return was due or filed (whichever is later). That&#039;s longer than the three-year civil statute but shorter than people fear. If the IRS hasn&#039;t charged you within six years, they can&#039;t.<\/p>\n<p>However, the statute can be tolled (paused) if you&#039;re out of the country or if there&#039;s an ongoing investigation. And if you never filed a return, the statute might not start running at all for some offenses.<\/p>\n<p>Your lawyer tracks the statute carefully. If it&#039;s close to expiring and the government hasn&#039;t moved, that becomes leverage in negotiations. If it&#039;s already expired, that&#039;s an absolute defense.<\/p>\n<h2>What Happens After Conviction<\/h2>\n<p>A conviction doesn&#039;t erase your tax debt. You still owe the underlying taxes, plus interest and penalties. The IRS collection division will pursue that debt while you&#039;re incarcerated and after you&#039;re released.<\/p>\n<p>Restitution is part of most criminal tax sentences. The court orders you to repay the unpaid tax as part of your sentence. Failing to pay restitution can result in additional penalties or extended supervision.<\/p>\n<p>Civil penalties stack on top of criminal penalties. Fraud penalties, accuracy-related penalties, and failure-to-file penalties all apply. You might also face employment restrictions, professional license suspensions, and difficulty obtaining credit.<\/p>\n<p>Planning for post-conviction life is part of the defense. Your lawyer works with you on asset protection (within legal limits), compliance going forward, and strategies for satisfying both the criminal sentence and the civil tax debt.<\/p>\n<h2>How Long Does a Criminal Tax Case Take<\/h2>\n<p>From investigation to sentencing, expect 18 to 36 months. CI investigations alone can take a year or more. After indictment, the case moves through arraignment, discovery, motion practice, plea negotiations, and (if no plea) trial. Sentencing comes weeks or months after conviction or plea.<\/p>\n<p>That timeline creates stress, but it also creates opportunity. A good tax evasion defense lawyer uses the time to negotiate, build defenses, and position you for the best possible outcome. Rushing rarely helps the defendant.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Most Criminal Tax Cases Don&#039;t Go to Trial<\/h2>\n<p>The government wins at trial. Their conviction rate in tax cases is above 90 percent. Juries generally trust IRS agents and DOJ prosecutors. The evidence is usually financial records, which are hard to dispute, and the law is clear.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors know this, so they offer plea agreements that reduce charges or recommend lower sentences in exchange for guilty pleas. Most defendants take the deal because the trial risk is too high.<\/p>\n<p>But not every case should plead. If the government can&#039;t prove willfulness, if their evidence is weak, or if there are legitimate defenses, going to trial might make sense. That decision requires a lawyer who&#039;s actually tried tax cases and can evaluate the government&#039;s evidence critically.<\/p>\n<h2>Protecting Yourself Before Trouble Starts<\/h2>\n<p>The best defense is avoiding charges in the first place. If you have <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/tax-relief\/unfiled-tax-returns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unfiled tax returns<\/a>, file them. If you owe taxes you can&#039;t pay, work out a payment plan or explore an Offer in Compromise. If you made mistakes on prior returns, file amendments.<\/p>\n<p>Civil tax problems are fixable. Criminal cases are not. The IRS would rather collect money than prosecute. Give them a way to collect, and you stay out of CI&#039;s crosshairs.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#039;re already under investigation, don&#039;t make it worse. Don&#039;t destroy records. Don&#039;t lie to agents. Don&#039;t try to fix the problem yourself. Hire a tax evasion defense lawyer who&#039;s handled cases like yours and knows how to navigate both the IRS and the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Criminal tax charges turn your life upside down, but they&#039;re not hopeless. The government has to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt, and experienced defense counsel can challenge their case at every step. For 32 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A.<\/a> has represented taxpayers facing IRS investigations, criminal charges, and everything in between. If you&#039;re under investigation or facing charges, let&#039;s talk before the case progresses further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facing a criminal tax investigation? Here&#8217;s what a tax evasion defense lawyer actually does, when you need one, and what the process looks like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":26743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26744"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26745,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26744\/revisions\/26745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getirshelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}