Fort Myers Man Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Filing False Tax Returns And Aggravated Identity Theft

Fort Myers, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Stafford Kelly to five years in federal prison for filing false or fictitious claims with the IRS and aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered him to pay $98,065 in restitution to the IRS. Kelly pleaded guilty on September 29, 2015. 

According to court documents, between February and May 2013, Kelly, working with others, filed approximately 80 false income tax returns requesting $288,021 from the IRS. These returns were filed using stolen identities and personal identifying information belonging to others.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.