Danielle Takeila Edmonson, Tax Refund Fraud, Florida 2018

A West Palm Beach federal jury convicted Danielle Takeila Edmonson, 35, and Kenneth Roger Edmonson, 51, both of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for their involvement in a scheme that involved the filing of false and fraudulent tax returns seeking large-dollar tax refunds.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2015 through 2018, D. Edmonson and K. Edmonson filed large-dollar tax refund claims with the IRS totaling over $100 million, including individual refund claims ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to as high as eighty million dollars.

Despite the false nature of the claims, the Treasury paid out approximately $3.4 million in refunds through the issuance of U.S. Treasury checks.

In addition, D. Edmonson filed a fraudulent tax return seeking a large refund for tax year 2014, falsely indicating on handwritten forms that she had paid taxes of over $300,000.

The IRS did not receive any corresponding forms to support the payment of any of these taxes.

D. Edmonson deposited this tax refund check into her bank account and used the funds to purchase a luxury vehicle.

D. Edmonson also filed fraudulent tax returns for each of tax years 2015, 2016, and 2017, seeking refunds of approximately $80 million, $2.4 million, and $9 million, respectively.

The trial evidence also established that in January 2018, law enforcement conducted a search of the Edmonson residence.

D. Edmonson was convicted of four counts of filing false, fictitious and fraudulent claims, two counts of mail fraud, and one count of false statements.

She faces a maximum statutory sentence of 65 years in prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg.

K. Edmonson was convicted at trial of two counts of filing false, fraudulent, and fictitious claims, one count of mail fraud, and one count of false statements.

He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 35 years in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/fort-lauderdale-father-and-daughter-convicted-trial-involvement-100-million-fraudulent