A Cleveland woman has been handed a near-four-year sentence for her involvement in a $2 million tax fraud conspiracy, using stolen identities to file false claims. Gwendolyn N. White, 32, was also ordered to pay $342,365 in restitution after being found guilty of conspiracy and filing false claims with the IRS.
According to Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, White’s scheme targeted individuals whose identities were stolen, including those incarcerated, to enrich herself through fraudulent tax refunds.
Dettelbach emphasized, ‘This defendant knowingly filed false income-tax returns in stolen names, trying to game the system for personal gain.’ Enstrom highlighted the IRS’ commitment to protecting taxpayer money, stating that they would continue to pursue such criminals.
The co-conspirator, Kenneth White, 48, faces sentencing in February and is accused of recruiting individuals, including some in prison or jail, to act as claimants on false tax returns. He obtained personal identifiers without consent and promised substantial refunds to the claimants.
Gwendolyn White, under Kenneth’s direction, prepared and filed ten false tax returns for 2008, claiming a total of $1,995,687. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vasile Katsaros following an IRS-CI investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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