Irene Woods, Tax Fraud and Identity Theft, Indiana 2017

Indianapolis woman Irene Woods, 35, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax fraud and identity theft, according to a recent court ruling.

Woods, a resident of Indianapolis, was found guilty of filing fraudulent tax returns for both the 2011 and 2012 tax years using stolen identities. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identified 69 tax returns with suspicious deductions filed from an I.P. address belonging to Woods, which sought over $350,000 in tax refunds.

The IRS determined that 46 of the taxpayers who purportedly filed the returns were the victims of identity theft and had never in fact filed the tax returns in question. An investigation by the IRS revealed significant evidence of identity theft at Woods’ address, including approximately 100 debit cards in over 80 different names and approximately 70 business credit applications that contained victim names, social security numbers, dates of birth, driver license numbers, addresses and phone numbers.

“Tax preparation individuals, such as Irene Woods, who prepare and intentionally file fraudulent tax returns in order to defraud the federal government and maliciously steal personal identifying information from innocent persons, thereby threatening their financial security, should be prosecuted fully in accordance with federal law,” said United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The sentencing shows the serious consequences of stealing identities to violate federal tax law, according to Tara Sullivan, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge.

Woods will be on supervised release for 2 years following her release from prison, according to Assistant United States Attorney Bradley P. Shepard who prosecuted the case. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to utilizing and partnering with law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals engaged in income tax fraud.

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