Former Oregon Woman Pleads Guilty for Conspiring to File Fraudulent Income Tax Returns Claiming More than $1 Million in Refunds

A former resident of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to file fraudulent income tax returns claiming more than $1 million in refunds, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams of the District of Oregon.

According to the plea agreement, Tataneisha White, 42, admitted that during 2010, she conspired with other individuals to prepare and file more than 227 fraudulent income tax returns.  The false information on the tax returns included fictitious wage and withholding information and fraudulent refundable credits.  White has agreed to pay $626,750 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is the amount of fraudulent claims for refunds that were deposited into bank accounts under her control.

White also pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds and one count of filing a false claim.

White faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the theft of government funds count, a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count and a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the false claims count.  White also faces a maximum potential sentence of three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of conviction.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo commended the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Lori Hendrickson and Ryan Raybould of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.  Ciraolo also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland for their valuable assistance in this case.