Shreveport, Louisiana . . .  DEXTER LAMAR ANDERSON, age 40, of Shreveport, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Tom Stagg to spend 36 months in prison for filing false income tax returns, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced.  ANDERSON was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,737,571.30.

ANDERSON pleaded guilty in September 2002, to a bill of information charging him with making false statements to the Internal Revenue Service.  From October 31, 1994, to January 25, 2000,  ANDERSON, while working as a local tobacco salesman, embezzled at least $1.6 million in rebate checks.  ANDERSON made the rebate checks payable to legitimate businesses, but fraudulently endorsed the checks and deposited them into his personal bank accounts for private use.  ANDERSON wrote 535 false rebate checks in 1997, 812 false rebate checks during 1998, and 421 false rebate checks in 1999, totaling $1,647,673.20.  The embezzled funds were not reported as personal income on ANDERSON’s 1997, 1998 and 1999 income tax returns.   Based on this unreported income, ANDERSON should have paid $620,421 in additional federal income taxes for the tax years 1997, 1998 and 1999.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Shreveport Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Mignonne Griffing.

Sentencing in federal court is governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.  Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W. Washington at 337-262-6618 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.