WASHINGTON — Current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his wife, U.S. Ambassador-nominee to Canada Aldona Wos, both claim a D.C. condominium, assessed at nearly $1.4 million, as their primary residence. As a result, they received the DC Homestead Tax Exemption since 2012, allowing them to pay lower property taxes on their condo.
D.C. has residents sign an affidavit confirming they live in D.C. for more than six months in a year to receive the tax exemption.
A DeJoy family spokesperson, Monty Hagler, confirms North Carolina is their primary residence, where they own three multi-million dollar homes and a yacht. Hagler blamed the tax error not on DeJoy, but on a past lawyer or accountant.
But D.C.’s congressional delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, isn't satisfied with that answer. Norton is part of a congressional committee already investigating DeJoy for allegedly funneling campaign contributions through former business employees.
“There's no question that it will be a part of the investigation of the Committee on Reform," Norton said. "That's the committee on which I sit, which is already in the midst of an investigation. I think you will see hearings soon, and I think you will see him called to these hearings, whether he has resigned or not."
Hagler said the couple paid all the back taxes and interest by a July deadline.
“The error was corrected and Mr. DeJoy has paid all prior year taxes and interest associated with the error," Hagler said. "The erroneous homestead deduction was approximately $5,500 in the aggregate for all prior years."
DeJoy’s Connecticut Avenue condo in Northwest was last in the news Aug. 23 when protesters held a Go-Go concert outside opposing his efforts to remove mail sorting machines. The former logistics company CEO and fundraiser for President Trump defended his actions as Postmaster General in congressional hearings in August.
Hagler said that as DeJoy was being vetted for the Postmaster General position, that's when he learned he had underpaid his D.C. property taxes.
“What I think we're confronting here is how many chances do you get?" Norton said. "The ghost campaign contributions got him in sufficient trouble. When you put our hearing, add it to what has now come out about his claim of the DC homestead exemption, it does seem to me that the Postmaster General should resign.”
The District also penalized DeJoy and Wos more than $700 dollars for those back taxes. DeJoy got the penalty removed on appeal, according to documents provided by Hagler to WUSA9.
"Based on voluntarily self-reporting, Office of Tax & Revenue agreed to waive the penalty of $730.04," D.C.'s Office of the Chief Financial Officer said. "This waiver is offered to all taxpayers who voluntarily self-report. OTR routinely audits tax accounts for compliance with the homestead exemption, which include audits of ownership changes and reporting by residents of potential homestead violations on specific properties. Additionally, OTR uses the services of an outside vendor to audit property owners who may be ineligible for the District homestead deduction based on a variety of criteria, and OTR conducts quality assurance reviews of all audit recommendations from the vendor. While these audits have produced significant results, this particular property had not yet been identified. The taxpayer self-reported."
WUSA9 also reached out to the Postmaster’s spokespeople to comment on Norton calling for an investigation into the property tax issue, but did not hear back.