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Press Release

Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Government Funds

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

Stolen Federal Tax Refunds Obtained from Fraudulent Income Tax Returns

A River Grove, Illinois, woman pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $93,000 from the United States, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the plea agreement, Rosa Alverio, 38, admitted that from March 2012 to December 2014, she participated in a scheme to steal money from the United States through the filing of false income tax returns.  Alverio deposited into her bank account income tax refunds that she knew were the proceeds of fraudulent tax returns.  According to the plea agreement, the fraudulent tax returns were filed in people’s names without their knowledge or consent.  Alverio admitted that as part of the scheme she caused 32 fraudulent tax refunds to be deposited into an account that she controlled.

Alverio, along with three codefendants, were charged on June 23, in a 24-count indictment with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and theft of public money.  Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 10.  Alverio faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, along with a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Ryan R. Raybould and Timothy M. Russo, who are prosecuting the case.  Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois for their substantial assistance in the case. 

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

Updated August 9, 2016

Topic
Tax
Component
Press Release Number: 16-913