Rochester Woman Pleads Guilty in Case Involving the Filing of False Tax Returns

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that  Michelle Torres, 37, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The charge carries a  maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that Torres engaged in a scheme with others that involved the filing of federal tax refund claims, CLaims were filed using stolen identities and refund checks were issued to various addresses in  Rochester. The defendant retrieved the checks and then sent them to co-conspirators in New York City in exchange for a fee. The conspiracy resulted in over $1.6 million in fraudulent tax refunds being issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

            The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge, Richard M. Frankel, and Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Toni Weirauch.