Montgomery, AL – In a stunning case of betrayal, Lea’Tice Phillips, a state employee, has been sentenced to serve 94 months of incarceration for her role in a brazen identity theft scheme.
According to court documents, Phillips, who worked for an Alabama state agency, had access to state databases containing identification of individuals. Between October 2009 and April 2012, she conspired with Antoinette Djonret and others to file false tax returns using stolen identities.
Phillips, in her official capacity, accessed a state database to obtain identification, which she then sent to Djonret via her state email. Djonret and her co-conspirators used the stolen identification to file false tax returns, mostly from Djonret’s residence in Montgomery.
The scheme involved a complex network of individuals who laundered the tax refunds. They recruited people to purchase prepaid debit cards on their behalf, and the fraudulently obtained tax refunds were directed to these cards. Some of the prepaid debit cards were in Phillips’ name.
In total, Djonret filed over 1,000 false tax returns that claimed over $1.7 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Antoinette Djonret was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison for her role in the conspiracy.
The case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Jason H. Poole and Michael Boteler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown prosecuted the case.
Phillips has been ordered to pay restitution of $567,631. Her guilty plea was entered on May 30, 2013. The sentence was handed down today.
Related Federal Cases
- Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., Aggravated Identity Theft and Access Device Fraud, Alabama 2013 · Texas
- Mary Bennett, Identity Theft, Alabama 2023 · Alabama
- John Irving Wheeler, Identity Theft and State Income Tax Fraud, Alabama 2013 · Michigan
- Harvey James, Mail Fraud and Identity Theft, Alabama 2012 · Texas
- Angeline Austin, Identity Theft and Tax Fraud, Alabama 2011 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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