Looking back, I'm beginning to think the same thing. My husband owned a bar that I sold. I put the liquor license in "safe keeping" with the state. That is done in Ohio to protect the owner. All papers were signed, and all the owner had to do was wait for the license.
In the meantime, he opened the bar without the license, and was raided, and a lot of illegal activity was going on. The doors were locked, so the agents had a hard time getting in.
I got orders from the State Liquor Board to appear in court. I called them, and explained the situation to no avail. They even got rude. So, I kept calling other departments, and got the same thing, that I was responsible. Finally, after hours and days of calling, I got a guy who understood, and was sympathetic. He told me to trust him, that he would personally fix the problem, and would get back with me. Of course, I didn't believe him, but played along.
A few days later, I got a letter from Attorney General Mike DeWine, saying the case was closed, along with apologies. I then got other documents from the guy who helped me, along with a phone call. He knew I had a sick husband, and was on the up-and-up, and he blamed over-zealous IRS employees. Now, I see why.