January 24, 2008
For more information contact:
Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Dixie A. Morrow
(850) 444-4000
FORMER GIRL SCOUT TROOP LEADER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS
IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR FILING FALSE IRS CLAIMS,
IDENTITY THEFT, AND THEFT OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
Pensacola, Florida - Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced that Holley M. Barnes was sentenced today by United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers to 120 months (10 years) imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Rodgers further ordered Barnes to pay $87, 976.70 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and $5,720.71 in restitution to the Navy Exchange Service.
On October 31, 2007, Barnes entered pleas of guilty to nineteen (19) counts of filing false and fictitious claims for refund to the IRS, fifteen (15) counts of unlawfully using the identification of another person to commit an unlawful activity (Identity Theft), and one (1) count of theft of government property. In her October plea hearing, Barnes admitted to having used her position of trust as a Girl Scout leader in Pea Ridge, Florida, to obtain personal history information from the members of the Girl Scout Troop. Barnes created a fraudulent “Girl Scout Medical Release” form in order to obtain this information which, among other things, included the individual children’s Social Security Numbers (SSN), informing the parents of the children that the Girl Scouts required this information in order to take trips. Barnes used the SSN’s of the children to prepare and file electronic federal income tax returns with the IRS, submitting false information regarding income and employment using the screen names of “Hotmama983" and “Freewoman74". The false refunds were then transferred into five different bank accounts which Barnes controlled. Barnes filed false claims totaling more than $187,000 from which she obtained more than $87,000 from the IRS as a result of fraudulently using the identity of these children, including her own children. Barnes also admitted to taking merchandise from the Pensacola Navy Exchange and returning it for a refund without having purchased the items. Barnes was able to obtain store credit for the value of the items even though she had no receipt. She made 32 separate returns with no receipts since April 2007.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen P. Preisser.