United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

FALSE W-2 FORM SCHEMES
YIELD HEFTY PRISON SENTENCES
FOR FORT WORTH RESIDENTS

Ricky L. Ross was sentenced today in Fort Worth, Texas, by United States District Judge John McBryde, to 40 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $4,403.00 in restitution, announced United States Attorney Richard B. Roper. Ross pled guilty in May 2006 to an Information charging one count of filing a false claim with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In documents filed in Court, Ross admitted that he received a false Form W-2 from another co-conspirator and that he took the false Form W-2 to a Jackson-Hewitt tax service in Fort Worth to create a false tax return that was presented to the IRS. That false tax return resulted in a tax refund of $4,403. Judge McBryde ordered that Ross surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 15, 2006.

In a separate scheme also involving false W-2s, United States District Judge Terry R Means sentenced Cheryl Kay Jones and Anthony R. Houston. Cheryl Kay Jones was previously sentenced in April to 36 months imprisonment following her guilty plea to aiding or assisting in making a false statement to the IRS. Anthony R. Houston, who pled guilty to the same charge, was sentenced in November to 12 months and one day imprisonment. Cheryl Kay Jones and Anthony R. Houston were also ordered to pay $92,879 restitution to the IRS, jointly and severally. In documents filed in court, both Jones and Houston admitted that they prepared a false W-2 which accompanied a false Form 1040 presented to the IRS. The Form W-2 contained false employment information, a false income amount, and a false withholding amount.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald C.H. Eddins and Bret Helmer.

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