Gulfport Man Sentenced To 24 Months In Prison For Aggravated Identity Theft In Connection With False Income Tax Returns

Gulfport, Miss. – Richard Terrell Jasper, 39, of Gulfport, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Special Agent in Charge Gabriel L. Grchan with IRS Criminal Investigation.

Jasper pled guilty on May 5, 2014, to one count of aggravated identity theft, which charged that he knowingly used, without lawful authority, the means of identification of another person, that is, the name and social security number of another person, during and in relation to the felony of theft of government funds. The theft of government funds involved numerous income tax refund checks that the defendant obtained and deposited into his bank accounts. The refunds were issued based on fraudulent income tax returns filed using unknowing victims’ names and social security numbers.

Jasper was sentenced by United States District Judge Sul Ozerden to a term of imprisonment of 24 months, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $43,215.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Morgan.