Cleveland women indicted for fraudulently claiming $313,000 in tax refunds

Two Cleveland women were indicted on charges of conspiracy to make false claims for fraudulently claiming false tax refunds for more than $300,000, said David A. Sierleja, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Frank S. Turner II, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

Janice Parks, 57, and Helen Wynder, 56, filed a series of false tax returns during 2011, and 2012 to claim inflated refunds. Parks held herself out of a tax preparer. She, Wynder and others falsely claimed tax credits on behalf of people who were not entitled to the credits, according to the indictment.

In some instances, Parks requested that portions of the refunds be directed to various bank accounts and that Parks and Wynder converted the funds for their own use, according to the indictment.

"As we draw near the end of this year’s income tax filing season, we want everyone who files a tax return to take advantage of the deductions and credits to which they are entitled by law; however, no one is entitled to defraud the government," Turner said.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases they will be less than the maximum.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen E. Henderson following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.