Rochester Man Sentenced on Fraud Charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Chauncee McFarland, 36, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns and to defraud financing companies, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $408,651.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that from 2010 to 2012, McFarland owned McFarland Tax Company, a tax return preparation business. The defendant conspired with an employee, Kenyatta Hubbard, to prepare false income tax returns for clients. McFarland and Hubbard reported fictitious employment in order to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit refunds claimed on behalf of the clients.

Thereafter, from September 2012 to September 2013, acting on his own as a licensed insurance broker, McFarland devised a scheme to defraud premium finance companies.  Premium finance companies engage in the business of lending money to finance insurance policy premiums for clients. McFarland prepared fraudulent premium finance agreements that falsely represented that he was seeking to obtain financing for purported clients. Based upon the fraudulent documents, the companies provided the requested financing. The defendant then diverted the financing to his personal use, and did not use it to purchase insurance policies for any clients. In total, McFarland defrauded the IRS and financing companies of $408,651.

Kenyatta Hubbard was convicted for her role in the conspiracy to prepare false income tax returns for clients and sentenced to five years probation.

Sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge, Shelly A. Binkowski, and Investigators of the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky.