Former KC Woman Admits to $454,000 Scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former Kansas City, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false statements in order to receive more than $454,000 in income tax refunds.

Chiquita Tyler, also known as Chiquita Robinson, 33, of Wylie, Texas, formerly of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to making a false claim to a federal agency and to identity theft.

By pleading guilty today, Tyler admitted that she defrauded the federal government by preparing false income tax returns using false or stolen identity information in a scheme to receive $454,363 in refunds.

Between February 2010 and February 2011, Tyler prepared and filed false income tax returns using false and stolen information for approximately 70 individuals. Tyler prepared and electronically filed false income tax returns through Turbo Tax. She created false wages, false education expenses, false addresses and false occupations for the false income taxes she prepared. Some tax returns contained false dependents. Tyler directed refunds from the false returns be deposited on a prepaid debit card mailed to Tyler at her home address and other locations in Kansas City, Mo.

The total amount Tyler claimed through the preparation of false returns and use of prepaid debit cards was $454,363. The actual loss for amounts fraudulently received by Tyler was $343,889 because some of the fraudulent claims were discovered by the Internal Revenue Service prior to payment.

Under federal statutes, Tyler is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Pansing Brown. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.