Lake Wales Man Sentenced To More Than Four Years On Tax Fraud Charges

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Tedderick Fields to four years and three months in federal prison for filing false claims with the Internal Revenue Service. He was also ordered to pay $7,775 in restitution to the IRS. Fields pleaded guilty on February 1, 2018.

According to court documents, Fields admitted to filing false tax returns in his name from 2011 through 2013. He reported wages that he had not earned from a business that he had incorporated, Dew’s T-Shirts and Accessories, and falsely claimed that he withheld federal income tax. In 2011, Fields filed a false tax return in his name, claiming that he had earned over $50,000 in wages and had withheld more than $14,000. The false claims resulted in a fraudulent tax refund of $7,775. In 2012, he filed another false tax return in his name, claiming that he had earned $1 million in wages and had withheld $400,000. This false claim resulted in the issuance of a fraudulent tax refund check in excess of $400,000.

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the St. Lucie County Sherriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.