Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 8, 2007
Contact : Sue McKinney
TAX FRAUD DEFENDANTS SENTENCED
United States Attorney Maxwell Wood, Middle District of Georgia, announced that ANTONIO J. GREEN, of Pelham, KENNTH J. THOMAS, JR., of Camilla, and TANISHA N. NICHOLS, of Camilla, were sentenced in Federal District Court in Albany by the Honorable W. Louis Sands, United States District Judge for the offense of “Conspiracy to File False Claims for refunds with the Internal Revenue Service,” violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 286. The maximum penalties for violation of Section 286 are 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, three years supervised release, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
GREEN entered a plea of guilty on September 5, 2006 and was sentenced on November 29, 2006 to a term of imprisonment of 36 months, to be followed by term of three years supervised release.
THOMAS entered a plea of guilty on October 2, 2006 and was sentenced on December 28, 2006 to a term of imprisonment of 36 months, to be followed by term of three years supervised release.
NICHOLS entered a plea of guilty on September 19, 2006 and was sentenced on December 14, 2006 to a term of imprisonment of five months, to be followed by term of three years supervised release.
Each of the defendants was ordered by the Court to pay restitution jointly and severally in the total amount of $107,163.54 to the Internal Revenue Service, Bank One, and Household Bank.
The indictment alleged that from about January 12, 2002 until about March 19, 2002, defendants GREEN, THOMAS and NICHOLS unlawfully conspired to defraud the United States by obtaining or aiding to obtain the payment or allowance of false, fictitious or fraudulent claims from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). The defendants were promoters and recruiters of a scheme to obtain tax refunds from the IRS through the filing of false tax returns and related forms. The defendants recruited individual taxpayers to file false tax returns and related forms. The taxpayers would be persuaded by one or more of the defendants to provide their names, social security numbers, dependent information, and W-2 forms to them with the promise of obtaining a larger tax refund. The defendants would use the information provided by the individual taxpayers to create new W-2 forms that were either completely fictitious, or which were falsified by increasing the income or tax withholding figures. For the 2001 tax year, the defendants caused the individual taxpayers to use the falsified W-2 forms to create and file tax returns with the IRS claiming tax refunds to which the taxpayers were not entitled. For the purpose of obtaining the refunds more quickly, the individual taxpayers usually obtained refund anticipation loans through their tax preparer. After the individual taxpayers obtained refunds from the IRS or refund anticipation loan proceeds, they would be required to pay a percentage of their refund to one of the defendants.
The case was investigated by Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul McCommon.
For further information, contact Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2602.
