Washington ( CNN ) -- The same day a documentary that featured government whistle-blower P. Jeffrey Black premiered , an Internal Revenue Service agent came to Black 's door for an audit . Coincidence ? Black does n't think so . Now he 's taken his story to two congressional committees and a Treasury Department watchdog , a sign that the IRS will face new scrutiny after its admission that employees improperly singled out applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups for extra review . Black retired from the Federal Air Marshal Service in 2010 after taking complaints about his agency to Congress . Six years earlier , he testified to a closed-door hearing into his complaints of ineptitude , favoritism and problems keeping marshals on flights . The same year he retired , he appeared in `` Please Remove Your Shoes , '' a documentary critical of the airline security measures travelers endure on every trip . An IRS agent showed up at his door `` almost to the hour '' that the movie bowed , he said . `` Being a veteran of extensive retaliation in my past , I am not surprised about this , '' Black told CNN 's `` Anderson Cooper 360 . '' `` It is basically the only way they can retaliate against me after I retired . '' Black said his supervisors wrongly suspected he had been leaking reports of cutbacks by the service -- something for which another air marshal was later fired . He said his home was placed under surveillance , his cable lines were cut and he was taken off of flight duty to perform menial tasks around his office . `` There I was in a suit and a tie , instead of being on a plane like I should be , painting scuff marks off the wall and washing cars , '' he said . Shifting IRS polls contradict key deposition . The audit led to a yearlong investigation that included the placement of a $ 24,000 lien against his home . In the end , the IRS found out Black owed them $ 480 -- while the government owed him $ 8,300 . Black paid his $ 480 ; the government never paid him , saying the statute of limitations had run out . After the May disclosure by the IRS that some of its employees had singled out conservative groups that had applied for tax-exempt status , resulting in lengthy delays in their applications being processed , Black wrote to the House Ways and Means Committee , which oversees the IRS , and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee . He told them he now thinks someone -- perhaps the Air Marshal Service , the Department of Homeland Security or elsewhere in the Obama administration -- was using the IRS to retaliate against him . When he raised his suspicions before , `` I always received the same reply : 'The IRS would never do that -- that would be just too obvious -- you are just paranoid , ' `` he told the Ways and Means Committee . But now , `` I do not believe the previous actions taken by the IRS were 'just a coincidence . ' '' And Black may not be alone . The committee is now soliciting details from people who think they were targeted for their political beliefs . And he 's been contacted by investigators for the Treasury Department inspector-general 's office that looked into the tea party complaints , indicating that probe may be heading in a new direction . GOP tries to keep focus on IRS targeting scandal . `` They wanted to know the history of my whistle-blowing , me testifying before Congress , '' he said . `` They wanted to get a whole history of my employment with the Federal Air Marshal Service . They also wanted to find out the origin of the audits . They were very concerned with who actually pushed the button to start the audit . '' In a statement issued to CNN , the IRS says federal law prohibits it from talking about the cases of specific taxpayers . But it says audits `` are based on the information contained on the tax return and the underlying tax law -- nothing else . '' `` The audit process is handled by career , nonpartisan civil servants , and the IRS has processes in place to safeguard the exam process , '' the agency said . `` We strive to be vigilant in our efforts to provide the best taxpayer service and enforce the nation 's tax laws with fairness and integrity . '' `` While it is too early in this investigation to determine what all of the facts are , some reports received by the committee support claims the IRS was targeting taxpayers for their beliefs , '' the committee told CNN in a written statement . Black may be worried about being seen as paranoid , but at a congressional hearing focusing on the tea party issue , Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady wondered whether the IRS scandal is just beginning . `` Is this still America ? '' Brady asked . `` Is this government so drunk on power that it would turn its full force , its full might , to harass intimidate and threaten an average American who only wants his voice heard ? '' CNN 's Elizabeth Nunez and Matt Smith contributed to this report . Watch Anderson Cooper . 360° weeknights 8pm ET . For the latest from AC360° click here .
Air marshal - turned - whistle - cutter says he was hired by the FBI . He 's been questioned by investigators from the tax - collection agency . A congressional committee is seeking more people with stories like his . The FBI defends the ` ` accuracy and integrity '' of its audits .