ATLANTA - A man who filed over 80 false tax returns seeking in excess of $1 million in refunds was sentenced today in federal district court to 33 months, announced United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia.  Roddrick Morris, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty on February 23, 2012.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates that those who steal money from their fellow citizens by submitting fraudulent claims for tax refunds will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.  “Paying taxes is a burden shared by all Americans.  Roddrick Morris and those with whom he was working sought to profit by falsifying taxpayer employment, income, and deduction information on over 80 tax returns in an effort to steal over a million dollars.  Now he is going to prison.”

 “Today’s sentencing further shows that IRS Criminal Investigation is working vigorously to bring to justice those individuals who seek to willfully defeat or defraud the Internal Revenue Service,” said Rodney E. Clarke, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office. “These types of crimes create a significant loss of tax revenue.  Although the sentence rendered today does not fully replace that loss, it does demonstrate IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to protect the integrity of our system of taxation by investigating individuals who criminally violate the tax laws.” 

  Morris was sentenced to 2 years, 9 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $231,650.29.

 According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Morris, assisted by at least one other person who has since passed away, prepared and mailed to the IRS individual income tax returns for almost 80 individuals falsely claiming refunds totaling in excess of $1.3 million.  The false tax returns at issue claimed refunds based on fabricated Form 1099s and W-2s containing fictitious employment, compensation and withholding amounts.  The false tax returns also claimed high deductions, which inflated the amounts of the refunds sought from the IRS.  The IRS paid out over $230,000 in refunds on these false returns.  These refunds were sent to Morris, who cashed the refunds and kept a portion before distributing the remaining amounts to individuals who had provided him with false documentation or taxpayer information.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. 

Assistant United States Attorney Douglas W. Gilfillan prosecuted the case.

 For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Information Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.

 

 

 

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