Grimy Times has learned that Martin Jackson Sr., the 48-year-old owner of two automotive businesses in Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Jackson conspired with at least six other individuals to use stolen identities to file false federal income tax returns that fraudulently claimed tax refunds. The scheme was carried out using the business bank accounts of Woodscale Automotive Sales LLC and Woodscale Autobody and Mec. LLC, which Jackson owns.
Some of the co-conspirators prepared and filed the false tax returns using the stolen identity information and requested that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mail the refund checks to addresses in Louisiana, including to post office boxes that were opened by co-conspirators. Jackson deposited refund checks into his business bank accounts and gave cash or checks to his co-conspirators, while retaining a portion of the proceeds for himself.
Jackson is the final co-conspirator to plead guilty of the seven defendants indicted in this case. Previously, Angela Chaney, 43, Thaddeus Richardson, 50, Corey Lewis, aka Coco, 37, Craig Lewis, 40, Brad Lewis, aka Bird, 32, and Cedrick Mitchell, aka Skeet, 39, pleaded guilty.
U.S. District Court Judge Jay Zainey of the Eastern District of Louisiana has set sentencing for Jackson on October 6. Jackson faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense and restitution.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite Jr. commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Hayden Brockett and Lauren Castaldi of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dall Kammer of the Eastern District of Louisiana, who are prosecuting the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Angel Lara-Merida, Identity Theft, Louisiana 2012 · Louisiana
- Silvia Maria Garcia-Coyado, Identity Theft, Louisiana 2016 · Louisiana
- Misty Johnson, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Theft of Mail, Louisiana 2016 · Louisiana
- Michaelle Martinez, Theft of Government Funds, Louisiana 2023 · Louisiana
- Jessica Henderson Berthelot, Theft of Mail, Louisiana 2015 · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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