Alabama Family Members Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Scheme

Montgomery, Alabama - Mary Lois Young, her husband, Christian Malone Young, and her son, Octavious Reeves, all from Wetumpka, Ala., were sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama. Today, Mary Young was sentenced to 87 months and Christian Young to 70 months of imprisonment. Yesterday, February 19, 2014, Octavious Reeves was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison. Each of these sentences will be followed by three years of supervised release. Previously, the Young’s pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in November 2013, and Reeves pleaded guilty in February 2013 to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between January 2010 and June 2012, Mary Young, Christian Young, Octavious Reeves, and others obtained stolen identities from individuals and used those stolen identities to file false tax returns. The false tax returns were filed from the Young’s residence and the conspirators directed the false tax refunds to prepaid debit cards in the names of the identity theft victims. The prepaid debit cards were mailed to several addresses in and around Elmore County. Mary Young, Christian Young, and Octavious Reeves then used the prepaid debit cards to withdraw the fraudulent proceeds. In total, the co-conspirators received over $400,000 in fraudulent tax refunds. For his part in the scheme, Reeves was ordered to pay $42,257.80 in restitution. Mary and Christian Young were ordered to pay $415,070.00.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the IRS - Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Elmore County Sheriff’s Department. Trial Attorneys Michael Boteler, Charles Edgar, Jr., and Gregory Bailey of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax

PRESS CONTACT: Clark Morris
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