PHOENIX MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR TAX FRAUD AND ORDERED TO REPAY OVER $239,000

PHOENIX – On August 7, 2012, Elmer Lee Defoor, 52, of Phoenix, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg to 24 months in prison. Judge Teilborg also ordered Defoor to pay $239,274 in restitution and to perform 100 hours of community service. Defoor pleaded guilty on March 12, 2012, to false claim upon the United States.

In the course of his guilty plea, Defoor admitted that on Feb. 7, 2009, he filed and presented a claim for payment, which he knew to be false, to the Internal Revenue Service. The claim was in the form of his 2008 federal income tax return, in which he falsely claimed an income tax refund of $239,274. In order to assist the Court in determining the appropriate sentence, Defoor also admitted that he filed three additional fraudulent tax returns for the 2005, 2006, and 2009 tax years. The false claims in all of the tax returns were primarily based upon claims that various financial institutions had withheld money on behalf of Defoor, and that he was entitled to the withholdings. No such withholdings, however, were ever made. Defoor submitted various false Forms 1099 to the Internal Revenue Service to support the false claims.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service. The prosecution was handled by Frederick A Battista, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER:           CR-11-700-PHX-DGC  
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-186(Defoor)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/