A woman from Heber City, Utah, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for filing false claims for income tax refunds.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Justice Department announced the sentencing of April J. Rampton, 42, a former Heber City resident.
Rampton was convicted at trial in December 2012 of nine counts of filing false claims for refund.
According to the indictment and the proof at trial, in July 2011, Rampton filed a false individual income tax return, based on false Forms 1099-OID, which sought a refund of more than $225,000.
On these false Forms 1099-OID, Rampton listed items of debt, such as her home mortgage and credit cards, as if the bank or loan holder had withheld the entire amount of her debt as a federal income tax payment.
Rampton received a refund check from the IRS, photocopied the check, and showed it to friends and family members. Rampton then began preparing returns for friends, family members, acquaintances and strangers, all using false Forms 1099-OID that sought tax refunds corresponding to their debts.
U.S. District Judge Dee Benson also ordered Rampton to pay $230,678.36 in restitution to the IRS and to serve three years of supervised release upon her release from prison.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Michael Romano and Stuart Wexler of the Tax Division.
Related Federal Cases
- Stanley J. Wardle, Filing False Claims for Income Tax Refunds, Utah 2009 · Utah
- James Johnson, Filing False Tax Refunds, Utah 2022 · Virginia
- Robert Watson, Filing False Tax Returns, Utah 2007 · Utah
- Jon Robertson, Filing a False Tax Return, Utah 2003 · Utah
- Jon T. McBride, Tax Evasion, Utah 2005 · Utah
Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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