Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Larreka Jackson pleaded guilty today in the Middle District of Alabama to her role in a multi-million dollar conspiracy to use stolen identities to obtain tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

On Aug. 15, 2012, 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. According to the indictment, Jackson operated a tax preparation business called It’s Tax Time in Montgomery. Jackson used It’s Tax Time as a front to file false tax returns using stolen identities. Jackson unlawfully obtained the names and Social Security numbers of actual persons and filed false tax returns using those names. Jackson directed the fraudulent tax refund to bank accounts controlled by her and her co-conspirators.

The case was investigated by special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Jason H. Poole and Michael Boteler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown are prosecuting the case.

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