Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

According to court documents, Blackmon was involved in a scheme to use stolen identities to file false federal income tax returns with the IRS. Blackmon admitted to acquiring identity information, to using that information on false tax returns, and to directing fraudulent tax refunds onto debit cards. He admitted to possessing at least fifteen Social Security numbers for the purpose of obtaining fraudulent tax refunds from the IRS.

Blackmon faces a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison for the access device fraud count and a mandatory two-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft count. He is also subject to fines and mandatory restitution.

This case was investigated by special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Justin Gelfand and Jason Poole of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax .