Kern County Resident Admits To Aggravated Identity Theft

FRESNO, Calif. —Hazel Turner, 44, of Tehachapi, pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, between February 2014 and March 2014, Turner used the means of identification of another person to falsify and electronically submit federal tax returns for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining money belonging to the United States.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Melanie L. Alsworth is prosecuting the case.

Turner is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill on January 7, 2019. Turner faces a statutory penalty of 2 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.