Fraudulently Received IRS Refunds of Over $85,000

COEUR D'ALENE – United States Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced that after three days of trial, tax protestor Gary Raymond Harvey, 71, of Peck, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to ten counts of making a false claim for a refund from the Internal Revenue Service. Harvey was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 23, 2011.

According to evidence presented at trial, Harvey created and filed tax returns for the entity The Organic Assembly of Circle JB, claiming that it was entitled to tax refunds ranging from $8,851.80 to $54,080, for tax years 2002 through 2010. During Harvey’s cross-examination, he admitted that he knew he was not entitled to such a refund. He further admitted that he filed false Form 990-Ts claiming he was entitled to refunds. Harvey’s false filings caused the IRS to send him refunds totaling $85,217.94.

Each count of making a false claim for a refund is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and not more than one year of supervised release.

Harvey is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene.

The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.