Linval Jackson, Bank Fraud & Identity Theft, Massachusetts 2025

BOSTON, Massachusetts - A brazen scheme to steal millions of dollars in COVID relief tax credits has landed a Queens man in prison. Linval Jackson, 34, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in the scheme.

According to authorities, Jackson and his co-conspirator, Isaiah Aaron Tenryk, used a fraudulent driver's license and the name and Social Security number of a corporate executive in New Jersey to open a bank account in Boston. Tenryk then deposited an approximately $3 million Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) check payable to the executive's company into the fraudulent account.

ERTC is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible businesses that had employees and were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The check was deposited in October 2024, and Jackson attempted to link the fraudulent account to other bank accounts he controlled to transfer the stolen money.

Linval Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft in October 2025. He was arrested and charged in July 2024.

In related news, Tenryk, Jackson's co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and identity theft in September 2024 and was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2024.

The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna Nuzum of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

Linval Jackson's sentence includes four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The exact date of the sentencing was not provided, but the crimes occurred in 2024.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/queens-man-sentenced-bank-fraud-and-identity-theft