Not really...I know many innocent people that got audited and had to pay back the IRS...some of them had to make payments for years to fix one innocent mistake....
What do you mean innocent mistake? If it takes years to pay it back, that was a hell of a mistake.
...the IRS takes big CEO's to lunch and then return to the office to audit some small businessman into the poor house...usually the promising young competition of the man their too to lunch....
The IRS is about compliance with the tax law. If you were supposed to report it and didn't. Or if you deducted it, and shouldn't have.
Everybody knows the rules, and everybody knows what they can usually get away with.