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Press Release

Bend Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $320,000 Through Fraudulent Refund Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. –Mark Timothy Ellis, 38, of Bend, Oregon, pled guilty on September 11, 2013, to making a fraudulent claim to the United States and to filing a false lien against a federal employee.  As part of his plea agreement, Ellis admitted that he made a false claim to the United States when he filed a false federal tax return and obtained a $327,062 refund based on that false return.  Ellis also admitted that he filed a false lien against the federal law enforcement officer who was investigating the false tax return as a means of retaliation and intimidation.

Sentencing is set for January 7, 2014, at 9 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken.  The maximum penalty for making a false claim is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The maximum penalty for filing a false lien is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford.

Updated January 29, 2015

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