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Georgia Couple Convicted of Conspiring to Defraud Irs and Filing False Returns in South Florida Refund Scheme

Elmo Antonio George and Nasheba Necia Hunte, formerly from the U.S. Virgin Islands and currently residents of Villa Rica, Ga., were found guilty today by a federal jury in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and filing false individual income tax returns for 2005 and 2006, the Justice Department and the IRS announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Grant Administrator and Legal Assistant of American Samoa Non-profit Legal Aid Corporation Sentenced for Stealing Nearly $160,000 in Federal Grant Funds

Julie Matau, 49, and her daughter, Andrea Matau, 28, each were sentenced yesterday in Oakland, Calif., for their participation in the theft of nearly $160,000 in federal grant funds from a now-defunct nonprofit American Samoa legal services corporation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Virginia Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Scheme to Conceal Pakistan Government Funding for His U.S. Lobbying Efforts

Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, 62, a U.S. citizen and resident of Fairfax, Va., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy and tax violations in connection with a decades-long scheme to conceal the transfer of at least $3.5 million from the government of Pakistan to fund his lobbying efforts in America related to Kashmir.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Montgomery, Alabama, Woman Indicted for Using Stolen Identities and Debit Cards to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery returned an indictment on March 28, 2012, charging Antoinette Djonret for using stolen identities to file false tax returns, the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The 19-count indictment, which was unsealed today following her arrest, charges Djonret with filing false claims, theft of government funds, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft and possession of unauthorized access devices.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Five Indicted in Alabama for Conspiracy to Obtain Tax Refunds Using Stolen Identities

A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama returned a 37-count indictment against Mary Bennett, Milton Bennett, Narendrakumar Patel, Corinthian Bennett and Eugenia Burks for their roles in an identity theft and tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department, the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. All five are charged with conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. The indictment also charges various defendants with mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, theft of government funds and forgery of state securities. The indictment was returned on Feb. 15, 2012, and unsealed today following the arrests of the defendants.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Virginia Man Sentenced for Filing a False Refund Claim Based on Forms-1099 and for Failing to File Tax Returns

Richard Jaensch, 54, of Annandale, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Jaensch had been found guilty on Dec. 7, 2011, by a federal jury sitting in Alexandria, Va., of corruptly endeavoring to impede the IRS, filing a false claim for a refund and four counts of failing to file tax returns for 2004 through 2007. Judge Lee also sentenced Jaensch to three years supervised release and ordered him to pay $197,984 in restitution to the IRS.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Nine Alabama Family Members Indicted in Conspiracy to Obtain Tax Refunds Using Stolen Identities

Barbara Murry, Douglas Murry, Douglas Murry III, Yolanda Moses, Lee Moses, Veronica Temple, Jeffrey Temple, Almetta Johnson and Courtney Johnson were charged in an indictment by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of counts stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Return Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Conspiracy Involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Margaret Kirksey, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 81 months in federal prison for filing false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Companies Agree to $4.25 Million Natural Resource Damages Settlement at Industri-Plex Superfund Site, Woburn, Mass.

Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc. have agreed to pay $4.25 million to federal and state natural resource trustees to resolve claims for natural resource damages connected with the Industri-plex Superfund site located in Woburn, Mass.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Mexico Man Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Crimes

Douglas Kuester, a tax preparer from Silver City, N.M., pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of filing false claims and aggravated identity theft the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Kuester was indicted on Jan. 18, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Sisters Sent to Prison for Their Roles in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Loretta Fergerson and her sister, Tracey Fergerson, both of Montgomery, Ala., were each sentenced to 115 months prison for their involvement in a conspiracy to file claims for false income tax refunds using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller ordered the Fergerson sisters to pay $504,305 in restitution to the IRS.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Defendants in Alabama Plead Guilty in Two Separate Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Schemes

Three defendants in separate cases involving the use of stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns have pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Alabama, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Five Sentenced for Their Roles in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Fahim Suleiman and Muuad Salem were sentenced to prison today by U.S. District Court Judge James S. Gwin in connection with their roles as co-conspirators in a scheme to defraud the United States by obtaining false and fraudulent U.S. Treasury tax refund checks, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Arizona State Representative Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion Related to the Misuse of More Than $140,000 in Charity Funds

Former Arizona State Representative Richard David Miranda was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for defrauding a charity of more than $140,000 and evading income tax related to those unlawfully obtained funds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Executive Director of the American Samoa Special Services Commission Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Steal More Than $325,000 in AmeriCorps Grant Funds

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton for the District of Columbia sentenced Mine S. Pase to 14 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Case

Jacqueline Slaton pleaded guilty today in the Middle District of Alabama to one count of filing a false tax return and one count of aggravated identity theft, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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$19 Million Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy Charged in Alaska

A grand jury sitting in Anchorage, Ala., returned a 90-count superseding indictment yesterday against 11 defendants. The superseding indictment included a conspiracy charge to defraud the United States involving a scheme to use stolen Puerto Rican identities to file tax returns and obtain fraudulent income tax refunds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Florida Tax Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Ernst Pierre, a Port St. Lucie, Fla., tax preparer, was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced. Pierre was charged with a scheme to file false federal income tax returns using stolen identity information. Pierre was also ordered to pay over $266,000 in restitution to the IRS.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Claim for Tax Refund

Michael Lavery, a resident of Sandy, Utah, pleaded guilty yesterday for presenting a false claim to the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Lavery appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul M. Warner in Salt Lake City.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Cleanup and Natural Resources Improvement Agreement Reached at Ashland Lakefront Superfund Site in Wisconsin

Northern States Power Co. will begin cleanup of the Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund Site in Northwestern Wisconsin under a settlement the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Return Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Conspiracy Involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Yumeitrius Manuel, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 81 months in federal prison for filing false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Six Indicted in Alabama in Million-dollar Conspiracy to Use Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a superseding indictment charging Antoinette Djonret, Angelique Djonret, Tabitha Stinson, Melba Wilson, Chantresa Hayes and Corey Means with conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The 49-count indictment charges Djonret with filing false claims, theft of government funds, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft and possession of unauthorized access devices. Angelique Djonret is also charged with filing false claims, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. Corey Means and Chantresa Hayes are charged with theft of government funds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Women Indicted in $2.8 Million Conspiracy to Use Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a 25-count indictment charging Larreka Jackson for conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, filing false claims, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging Quentin Collick for conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, theft of public funds, and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Georgia Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Crimes

A tax return preparer from Macon, Ga., pleaded guilty Thursday to filing a false claim for tax refund, theft of government money and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Sonya Darrington pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Alabama to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Foreclosure Rescue Scam and Theft of Government Funds

Alex P. Soria, 65, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George in the District of Nevada to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds in connection with a scheme to defraud homeowners who were behind on their mortgages.



  • OPA Press Releases

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State of Alabama Employee Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Natacia Webster, an employee of the state of Alabama, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false claims, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Crystal Sayles, of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced today to 64 months in prison for filing false claims, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Sayles had pleaded guilty to those charges on May 17, 2012. She was also ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution and will serve three years on supervised release following her release from federal prison. In addition to the sentence imposed today, Sayles had also agreed to the forfeiture of a Mercedes Benz as part of her plea agreement.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces New Directive to Fight Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

The Justice Department’s Tax Division has issued a new directive to further the efforts of the Tax Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to respond quickly and effectively to the grave challenges in stolen identity refund fraud cases.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Defendants Sentenced in a Multi- Million Dollar Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Three defendants involved in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme were sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Chiquanta Davis received a prison term of 66 months, Terrence Davis was sentenced to 18 months in jail and Laurekshia Blakely received a six month prison sentence. All three were also sentenced to three years supervised release.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice Awards Funding to Enhance Communities’ Ability to Improve Safety in Distressed Neighborhoods

Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance Director Denise E. O’Donnell today announced more than $11 million in awards to address neighborhood-level crime in 15 locations nationwide.



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Former Florida Fundraiser and Accountant Associate Plead Guilty for Illegal Campaign Contributions

Timothy F. Mobley, a real estate developer based in Tampa, Fla., and accountant Timothy F. Hohl pleaded guilty today in Jacksonville, Fla., federal court for their roles in illegal contributions to the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) and the campaign of an elected member of the U.S. Congress.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Investor Fraud Summits Across the Country Arm Consumers with Information to Protect Retirement Funds and Life Savings

Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorneys’ offices together, with the department’s Criminal and Civil Divisions, representatives from various government agencies and partners, are holding investor fraud summits across the country to help consumers protect their hard-earned money from fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Family Members in Alabama Plead Guilty in Million Dollar Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Several family members, all residents of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Alabama to their involvement in a million dollar stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Jacqueline Slaton was sentenced to 70 months in prison and order to pay restitution of over $100,000 for her involvement in stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Health and Human Services Employee Sentenced in North Carolina to Prison for Theft of Government Funds

Jihan S. Cover, 34, of Arden, N.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger in the Western District of North Carolina.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, access device fraud and misuse of a Social Security number, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Indicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

On Oct. 16, 2012, Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to file false claims, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and embezzlement from the mail, the Justice Department, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), announced today after the indictment was unsealed.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Barbados National Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Andrew J. Watts, a Barbados national, was sentenced in Chicago by U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of just under $1.7 million for devising and executing a stolen identity federal income tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Agreement Furthers Cleanup of the Quanta Resources Superfund Site in Edgewater, New Jersey

Another important step toward cleaning up the Quanta Resources Superfund site in Edgewater, N.J., was announced today by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Mexico Man Sentenced to Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Douglas Kuester, 43, a tax preparer from Silver City, N.M., was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for filing false claims and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Kuester was also ordered to pay $911,000 in restitution and will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Florida Man Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., returned an indictment charging Paul F. Wrubleski with corruptly impeding the due administration of the internal revenue laws and four counts of filing false claims for tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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US and Local Governments Achieve $50 Million Settlement to Address Contamination at Superfund Site in Rialto, Calif.

The United States has entered into two settlements worth more than $50 million to clean up contamination from the B.F. Goodrich Superfund Site in San Bernardino County, Calif.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Founder and President of Labor Union Convicted in Washington for Stealing from Union’s Treasury and Pension Fund, Related Crimes

The founder and president of the National Association of Special Police and Security Officers (NASPSO) – which represents private security guards assigned to protect federal buildings in the metropolitan Washington area – was convicted yesterday in Washington federal court, following a jury trial, of 18 counts related to his theft of union treasury and pension funds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces Availability of Funding to Federally-Recognized Tribes and Tribal Consortia

The Department of Justice today announced the opening of their comprehensive grant solicitation period for funding to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention improvements for American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Foreclosure Rescue Scam and Theft of Government Funds

A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for operating a foreclosure rescue scam that defrauded distressed homeowners who were struggling to pay their mortgages.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former New Jersey Chiropractor Charged in Scheme to Extinguish Debt and to Obtain Fraudulent IRS Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Trenton, N.J., returned an indictment charging David Moleski with 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of corruptly impeding the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws and three counts of filing false claims for tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Heber City, Utah Resident Convicted of Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Totaling More Than $2.2 Million

April J. Rampton, 41, formerly of Heber City, Utah, was convicted yesterday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City of nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Rampton, who was indicted on Sept. 14, 2011, was released following the verdict. She is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Dee Benson on Feb. 27, 2013. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on six similar counts.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Georgia Woman Indicted for Stealing Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a superseding indictment charging Deatrice Smith Williams and Quentin Collick for their roles in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases