A Cobb County man has been sentenced to 10 years and 1 month in prison for using stolen identities to file false tax returns.
Bradford Thomas, 47, of Cobb County, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Steve C. Jones to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,663,035 in restitution to the IRS.
The scheme, which lasted from January 2010 through May 2013, involved Thomas using the names and Social Security numbers of various victims, many of whom were incarcerated in jails or prisons throughout the country, to file over 1,200 false tax returns.
These false tax returns claimed over $5.5 million in fraudulent tax refunds, which were directed to be deposited into bank accounts controlled by Thomas or individuals working with him. The scheme caused an actual loss of over $1.6 million in taxpayer money.
Thomas was arrested in August 2013, and federal agents searched two locations from which the tax returns were electronically submitted to the IRS. Investigators uncovered $438,080 in cash, two handguns, jewelry, and various luxury automobiles, including a 2005 Rolls Royce Phantom, a 2008 Maserati Granturismo, and a 2005 Bentley.
Thomas pleaded guilty on November 22, 2013, to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. If you believe you may be a victim of tax return-related identity theft, please contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490, extension 245 (Mon. – Fri., 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. local time).
Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas J. Krepp and Mary F. Kruger are prosecuting the case. For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.
Related Federal Cases
- Greene Wylie Sheppard, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Aggravated Identity Theft, Georgia 2013 · Arkansas
- Master Dalas Brisco, Aggravated Identity Theft, Georgia 2014 · Kansas
- Timothy D. Wilburn, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Georgia 2014 · Indiana
- Edna Yvonne Orr Goff, Conspiracy to File False Federal Tax Returns and Aggravated Identity Theft, Georgia 2014 · Georgia
- Nadir Anwar Jabbar, Identity Theft and Auto Fraud, Georgia 2014 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
