Clarence Hicks Indicted in Identity Fraud Tax Scam

Montgomery, Alabama – Clarence Donya Hicks stood before a federal court today, charged with using stolen identities to file fraudulent federal income tax returns. The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the charges, marking the culmination of an investigation that spanned nearly three years.

Hicks, who was arrested in California after a cross-country chase, now faces a litany of serious charges including filing false claims, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and lying to federal agents. According to the indictment returned by a federal grand jury on January 20, 2012, Hicks engaged in this scheme from 2009 until 2010.

The document reveals that Hicks lied to federal agents about his involvement with another individual who used the same tax filing number as Hicks. This deceitful collaboration aimed to exploit the American tax system for personal gain, authorities claim.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and Hicks is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum sentence of five years imprisonment for each false claims count, 20 years for each wire fraud count, and a mandatory two-year sentence for each aggravated identity theft charge. Additionally, he could spend up to five years behind bars for making false statements to federal agents and is subject to substantial fines and mandatory restitution.

The IRS – Criminal Investigation division led the probe into Hicks’s activities, while trial attorneys Jason H. Poole and Justin Gelfand of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are now prosecuting the case. More information about the Tax Division can be found at www.justice.gov/tax.

For more on this gritty criminal tale, contact Clark Morris at usaalm.press@usdoj.gov or call (334) 551-1755.