Milwaukee Man Pleads guilty to Filing False Income Tax Claims

United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced that Prince Rashada, age: 45, (a.k.a. Romello Sinclair), pled guilty today to filing a false claim for a federal income tax refund, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 287 and 2.  At sentencing, Rashada faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

 In 2008, Rashada and another individual were charged by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Wisconsin with defrauding the United States by filing fraudulent returns.  Rashada remained a fugitive after the indictment was returned.  However, in late 2013, he was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service.

 According to a written plea agreement in the case, between March 2005 and January 2007, Rashada and his co-defendant caused more than 100 false federal income tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service.  Rashada defrauded the United States by recruiting others to file fraudulent federal income tax returns, claiming wages that were never earned.  The fraudulent wages reported on the federal tax returns ranged from $11,000 to $16,000, with an average refund totaling $3,800. The defendant kept approximately $1,000 from each fraudulent income tax return he prepared and filed.   

This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Wesley.