Six Defendants Sentenced In Fraudulent Tax Refund Scheme

Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that all six defendants involved in a recent scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and identity theft have now been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.  On February 4, 2014, all six defendants were indicted for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and five of the six defendants were indicted for Aggravated Identity Theft.

Jennifer Robinson, age 26, of Fargo, ND, pled guilty to the charges in October of 2014.  She was sentenced on May 18, 2015, to 1 day in custody to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 24 months in custody to be followed by 1 year of supervised release on the identity theft offense.  The time in custody will be served consecutively, and the supervised release will be served concurrently.  Robinson was also ordered to pay $33,015.00 in restitution to the IRS.

Shawnte Washington, age 32, of Tampa, FL, pled guilty to the charges in February of 2015.  She was sentenced on May 18, 2015, to 1 day in custody to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 24 months in custody to be followed by 1 year of supervised release on the identity theft offense.  The time in custody will be served consecutively, and the supervised release will be served concurrently.  Washington was also ordered to pay $16,065.00 in restitution to the IRS.

Undra Stewart Franks, age 28, of Little Rock, AR, pled guilty to the offenses in February of 2015. He was sentenced on May 4, 2015, to 1 day in custody to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 24 months in custody to be followed by 1 year of supervised release on the identity theft offense.  The time in custody will be served consecutively, and the supervised release will be served concurrently.  Franks was also ordered to pay $9,679.00 in restitution to the IRS.

Timothy L. Brister, Jr., age 30, of Tampa, FL, pled guilty to the offenses in January of 2015. He was sentenced on April 27, 2015, to 1 day in custody to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 24 months in custody to be followed by 1 year of supervised release on the identity theft offense.  The time in custody will be served consecutively, and the supervised release will be served concurrently.  Brister was also ordered to pay $9,679.00 in restitution to the IRS.  

Anna Weber, age 28, of Horace, ND, pled guilty to the conspiracy charge in October of 2014. She was sentenced on April 16, 2015, to 3 years of probation.  Weber was also ordered to pay $73,146.81 in restitution to the IRS.

Donta J. Moore, age 29, of Kansas City, MO, pled guilty to the charges in October of 2014.  He was sentenced on March 13, 2015, to 27 months in custody to be followed by 2 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 24 months in custody to be followed by 1 year of supervised release on the identity theft offense.  The time in custody will be served consecutively, and the supervised release will be served concurrently.  Moore was also ordered to pay $160,176.18 in restitution to the IRS.

Donta Moore and Undra Stewart Franks played for the Sioux Falls Storm Arena Football team in 2012.

The convictions stemmed from the defendants conspiring to defraud the United States by using stolen personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth, to file fraudulent income tax returns which claimed false income tax refunds.  Five of the six defendants were also convicted of identity theft for their part in stealing the personal information. The investigation was conducted by the IRS– Criminal Investigation.  The Moorhead, MN Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service also aided in the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Haak prosecuted the case.