Hutchinson Woman Pleads Guilty To False Tax Claim, Firearms Charge

WICHITA, KAN. - A Hutchinson woman pleaded guilty Monday to filing a false tax return and violating a federal law prohibiting her from having a gun, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Rhonda J. Simmons, 40, Hutchinson, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of presenting a false tax claim and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. In her plea, she admitted that on April 15, 2012, she prepared a false income tax return seeking a refund of $3,014.

On Aug. 14, 2012, the Hutchinson Police Department executed a search warrant on the residence where she was living in Hutchinson. They seized a 20 gauge shotgun belonging to Simmons. She was prohibited from possessing a firearm because she had been convicted of a felony in 2007 in Georgia.

Sentencing is set for March 30. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the tax charge.

Grissom commended the Internal Revenue Service and the Hutchinson Police Department for their work on the case.