Norfolk Man Sentenced To 54 Months For Wire Fraud And False Claims

NORFOLK, Va. –Travis Hager, 24, of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced today to 54 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, following his guilty plea on June 4, 2014, for wire fraud and false claims against the United States.

Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Washington D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigations, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

According to court documents, Travis Hager, along with his co-conspirator Donte Demus, stole the identities of individuals and used them to file false federal income tax returns.  While incarcerated in a Virginia Beach jail, Hager stole the identities of a number of fellow inmates and provided them to Demus by using the jail’s phone system.  Demus then provided the identities to a third unidentified accomplice who filed the false returns.  The conspirators would request the tax refund be loaded on a prepaid debit card and mailed to Norfolk, Virginia where Demus would retrieve them and spend the funds.  In total, Hager, Demus, and their accomplice claimed fraudulent tax refunds from the U.S. Government in the amount of $163,953.

Donte Demus pleaded guilty on September 3, 2014 and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2014.

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:14-cr-43.