Canton Man Sentence To More Than Six Years In Prison For Filing False Tax Returns While In Prison

Brandon Mace was sentenced to more than six years in prison for claiming false income tax refunds totaling nearly $5.5 million, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney.   

Mace filed the false claims while incarcerated on state charges.

Mace pleaded guilty to the charges on February 27, 2013, before United States District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, who imposed today’s sentence.  The two-count indictment against Mace charged that he prepared and filed false income tax returns for the years 2008 and 2009 claiming false tax refunds in the amounts of $207,000 and $5,292,000, respectively.

Mace, a 35-year old resident of Canton, Ohio, has been in pretrial detention since his arrest on these charges on November 20, 2012, according to court records. 

Mace requested a non-prison sentence on a number of grounds, including his claim that he knew he would never receive any of the requested refunds.  According to court documents and proceedings, however, the government mailed the requested 2008 refund check to Mace at a Post Office box, where he planned to retrieve it upon his scheduled release from state custody in late 2009.  He did not succeed in getting the check because the Post Office returned it to the government before he could get there.  The government did not issue the 2009 refund check, although Mace made efforts to obtain it beyond filing his false return.  After the IRS sent Mace correspondence requesting an explanation for his lack of a supporting W-2 form, Mace replied by sending a hand-written letter containing a false excuse. 

In announcing the prison sentence, Judge Gaughan cited to Mace’s extensive criminal record as a significant factor.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Perry D. Mastrocola and Assistant United States Attorney John M. Siegel, following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service -- Criminal Investigation.