Arkmallah Hilliard, Tax Refund Scam, New York 2023

Tax Refund Scam

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – A Baltimore man is accused of running a massive tax refund scam in Central New York, leaving a trail of financial devastation in its wake.

Arkmallah Hilliard, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, was arraigned today in federal court in Syracuse on one count of conspiring to defraud the United States.

According to the indictment, Hilliard allegedly conspired with former Utica resident Anas Wilson and others to defraud the IRS by filing false and fraudulent income tax returns in the names of various individuals and obtaining tax refunds to which they knew they were not entitled. The indictment alleges that Hilliard used his own bank accounts and other bank accounts he controlled that had been opened by co-conspirators to receive the tax refunds, after which Hilliard and others withdrew, spent, and transferred the money for their own purposes.

Anas Wilson, a former Utica resident, previously pled guilty to similar charges in federal court in Syracuse and is serving a 12-year prison sentence.

Hilliard’s charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to the greater of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain to the defendant or the loss to any victim, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation/money judgment of up to $462,107.00.

United States Magistrate Judge David E. Peebles ordered Hilliard detained pending a trial to be scheduled later this year before Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.

The indictment is a shocking reminder of the devastating impact of tax refund scams on innocent victims. We urge anyone who believes they may have been a victim of tax refund scams to contact the authorities immediately.

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