Demetrick Ruffin, a 41-year-old man from Los Angeles, California, has pleaded guilty to identity theft in federal court in Anchorage, Alaska. The crime dates back to 2009, when Ruffin conspired with others to obtain personal identity information of others.
Ruffin and his co-conspirators used the stolen identity information to prepare false W-2 forms and file false individual income tax returns in order to get refunds due to others. In some instances, they even claimed that the “taxpayers” had dependent children that they did not, in fact, have.
The false returns requested refunds totaling between $1,400 and $8,600. Ruffin and his co-conspirators used the stolen identity information to claim that the “taxpayers” had dependent children that they did not, in fact, have. By claiming additional dependents, the co-conspirators were able to increase the amount of refunds that the returns generated.
Demetrick Ruffin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a mandatory two-year sentence to be imposed consecutively to the sentence imposed on the conspiracy charge. The law provides for a total of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, on the conspiracy charge.
Ruffin was arrested in July 2016 by the U.S. Marshals. His co-conspirators, Jameane Bolton-Williams, Joe Douglas, and Lucille Stansberry, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 36 months to 82 months and ordered to pay restitution in amounts totaling $91,927.65, $43,043.55, and $48,619.95, respectively.
“Identify theft related tax refund fraud is a top priority for the IRS,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Together with the US Attorney’s Office, we are committed to fighting this growing epidemic.”
Demetrick Ruffin is currently detained pending sentencing, which is set for July 10, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.
Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Category: Identity Theft
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News