IRS Files Liens for 3 Years Back Taxes Owed By Martin

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. —  One day after Billy Martin’s death, the Internal Revenue Service filed three liens against the former New York Yankee manager’s estate to recover $86,137 in back taxes.

According to liens filed in the Broome County Clerk’s office, the IRS is seeking to recover $10,988 in unpaid income taxes for 1981, $8,381 for 1982 and $66,767 for 1988.

The government claims that Martin, identified in the liens as Alfred M. Martin, under-reported his income for those three years.

Terry Dunford, a spokesman for the IRS in Buffalo, said today the timing of the liens was not intended as a cold-hearted slap against Martin’s memory or his family.

“We look at every case individually, and we file liens in cases involving deceased persons when we feel it is necessary to protect the interests of the U.S. government,” Dunford told the Buffalo News.