Trussville Man Indicted For Multi-Million Dollar Tax Scheme

BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Trussville man in connection with a scheme to collect millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service on false tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and IRS Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot.

The indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges NORMAN JAMES SECOR, 66, with filing or aiding in the filing of 12 false income tax returns and supporting documents between June 2008 and February 2009. Secor knew that he and the other taxpayers were not entitled to the $5.2 million in refunds he claimed, according to the indictment. Each false tax return contained a claim that money had been earned by the taxpayer and withheld by various financial institutions during the tax year and that the taxpayer was entitled to refund of those withholdings from the IRS, according to the indictment. No such earnings or withholdings had actually occurred.

Among the 12 false returns, Secor filed two in his name, totaling $1.5 million. The remaining 10 requested refunds totaled more than $3.7 million, according to the indictment.

If convicted, Secor could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the 12 counts of making false claims against the government.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent and it will be the government’s responsibility to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.