January 15, 2016

A resident of the District of Columbia was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which he worked with others to obtain over $315,000 in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns. Ezekiel Raspberry, 39, is among approximately 16 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million. According to the government’s evidence, Raspberry participated in a massive and sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud scheme that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people. DOJ

Tagged in: Tax Fraud,