United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner
Eastern District of California
Fresno Woman Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison For Tax Fraud And Identity Theft
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Monday, July 9, 2012 |
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Docket #: 1:09-cr-076 and 077-AWI |
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FRESNO, Calif. — Chief U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Juanita Munoz, 47, of Fresno, today to seven years in prison in two separate cases for making false claims against the United States and identity theft, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. As part of her sentence, Munoz has been ordered to pay restitution of $361,093 to the United States.
The cases were the product of an extensive investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Cullers prosecuted the cases.
According to court documents, in the first case, Munoz prepared income tax returns that contained false taxpayer’s names, false social security numbers, and false employment information. The false tax returns requested tax refunds that were then sent to bank accounts that were under Munoz’s control.
In the second case, Munoz used the name and social security number of another person to obtain a credit card and used the credit card to pay for various goods and services. She has been ordered to pay of $54,231 in restitution to the victim.
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