Allentown Man Pleads Guilty To Tax Refund Scheme

PHILADELPHIA - Andys O. Rodriguez, 26, of Allentown, PA, was sentenced today to 30 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release.  U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence F. Stengel also ordered restitution of $2,904,783.64. Rodriguez admitted at his guilty plea that between August 17, 2010 and January 31, 2012, he knowingly filed false tax returns with the IRS claiming refunds in the names of other individuals.  The returns included W-2 forms falsely claiming that taxes were withheld by various employers.  The IRS identified more than 600 false returns that were associated with this scheme.  These returns, which were filed electronically, claimed refunds totaling $2,904,783.64.

            The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States David J. Ignall.