FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
February 24, 2012	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 2:12-cr-075-KJM

            SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Nadiyah Muhammad Woods, 33; Nakia Renee Vaughn, 26; and Tomisha Lee McKinnie, 24, all of Sacramento, were charged by a federal grand jury yesterday for a conspiracy to file false tax returns and get tax refunds.

            This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Department of Treasury, Office of the Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with the cooperation of the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

            According to the indictment, Woods, Vaughn, and McKinnie used stolen identities to file false tax returns using Turbo Tax, an online tax filing service. Turbo Tax loaded Green Dot debit cards with the tax refunds of taxpayer victims. The defendants activated the debit cards and withdrew money from them. The alleged fraudulent tax return claims filed by Woods, Vaughn, and McKinnie amount to more than $1,366,427, and the IRS actually paid $962,079. The scheme involved over 280 false tax returns and many victim taxpayers.

            Woods was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman and pleaded not guilty. Vaughn and McKinnie are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, February 27, 2012 at 2:00 pm. During a prior bail hearing, Woods was released on bond with a condition that she resides under supervision at a community confinement facility. Vaughn and McKinnie, both having been on probation for unrelated state crimes during the period the alleged conspiracy and mail fraud scheme operated, have been denied bail and are presently detained in the Sacramento County Jail.

            If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

####

 

Return to Top