Kaeisha Robinson Gets 7 Years for Tax Fraud, ID Theft

Kaeisha Robinson, 38, of Phoenix, Arizona, is headed to federal prison for seven years after pleading guilty to a multi-year scheme involving stolen identities, fake tax returns, and lies to obtain government housing. The former Iowa resident was sentenced to 84 months by U.S. District Chief Judge Linda R. Reade in Cedar Rapids, marking the end of a fraud operation that siphoned over $336,000 from federal coffers.

Robinson admitted in a plea agreement that between May 2011 and February 2013, she filed numerous fraudulent federal tax returns — some in her own name, others using the stolen identities of unsuspecting individuals. These returns falsely claimed more than $250,000 in refunds, all of which were deposited directly into accounts under her control. The Internal Revenue Service paid out these refunds before investigators uncovered the scheme, leaving taxpayers on the hook for her crimes.

In addition to the IRS rip-off, Robinson lied to the Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority to secure Section 8 benefits she didn’t deserve. From October 2011 through July 2013, she deliberately underreported her income on housing assistance forms, hiding the illicit payments she’d collected. That deception netted her $12,143 in unauthorized housing aid — money meant for low-income families in need.

The case was built through a joint investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation unit, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General. Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Morfitt, tied Robinson to the fraudulent returns through financial records, IP data, and falsified documents submitted under multiple identities.

Robinson pleaded guilty on September 2, 2016, to one count each of aggravated identity theft, theft of government property, and making false statements to a government agency. In addition to her 84-month sentence, she was ordered to pay $336,380 in restitution to the IRS and $12,143 to the housing authority. A special assessment of $300 was also imposed. No parole in the federal system means she’ll serve every month.

Robinson remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transfer to a federal prison. The case, docketed as 15-CR-00071, is publicly accessible through the Northern District of Iowa’s court records portal. Follow updates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.