Leeora Anderson, Tax Refund Fraud, North Carolina 2012

Charlotte Woman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

A Charlotte woman was sentenced to 21 months in prison for her involvement in a tax refund fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins for the Western District of North Carolina.

Leeora Anderson, 42, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Frank D. Whitney.

U.S. Attorney Tompkins said, “Tax fraudsters like Anderson pocket money by defrauding the government and leave the rest of us to pick up the tab for their illegal tax schemes. Today we are sending a clear message: tax fraud will not be tolerated and we will make sure tax fraudsters pay the price for their actions, both financially and in prison time.”

Anderson was also ordered to pay restitution to IRS in the amount of $202,577. In total, her scheme resulted in the filing of 57 false tax returns, falsely claiming approximately $331,949 as refunds from the U.S. government.

The investigation was handled by the IRS. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.

IRS Special Agent in Charge Jeannine A. Hammett stated, “IRS-CI is determined to stop these false tax refund schemes. The message this case sends is that participation in refund fraud schemes does not pay and those who do will be prosecuted,”

Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of false claims conspiracy in February 2012. She recruited individuals to file fraudulent federal income tax returns using their own names and social security numbers. Anderson created fictitious W-2 forms for the recruited individuals, which contained fictitious names of employers and fabricated amounts of wages and withholdings.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/charlotte-woman-sentenced-prison-tax-refund-fraud-scheme