Former Police Officer Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Filing False Tax Return

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CRAIG FRANCIS, also known as Horus Durjaya Bey, 45, of Windsor, Connecticut, and Clermont, Florida, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for filing a false tax return.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in February 2009, FRANCIS, a former Hartford Police officer, E-filed a 2008 federal income tax return that listed falsely inflated amounts of both interest income received and taxable income withheld by the government, and requested a fraudulent refund of $255,904.  On approximately March 1, 2009, the Internal Revenue Service issued the refund before determining that the tax return was fraudulent, and that FRANCIS was actually entitled to a refund of only $4,073.

Shortly after receiving the fraudulent refund, FRANCIS spent or converted to cashier’s checks more than $220,000 of the money he received.  FRANCIS possessed $100,000 in cashier’s checks when the IRS officially notified him of the error on April 7, 2009.  However, FRANCIS cashed the checks and spent the money over the next three months.

As of today, FRANCIS owes the IRS $387,103.07, which includes interest and penalties.

FRANCIS was arrested on June 7, 2017, in Florida.  On February 22, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return.

FRANCIS, who is released on a $250,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on August 6, 2018.

This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Kopel.