Maurice Hester Sentenced to 64 Months for Tax Fraud, Milledgeville …

GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE: In a major victory against identity theft in Georgia, Maurice Hester, the 31-year-old resident of Milledgeville, was today sentenced by Judge Marc T. Treadwell to serve 64 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated tax fraud scheme.

Hester pleaded guilty to filing false claims against the government, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government property. The court also ordered him to pay $32,129 in restitution and a mandatory assessment fee of $700.

On April 8, 2013, Hester admitted to filing fraudulent income tax returns, including one for over $600,000, under false pretenses. He used stolen identities to file these returns, directing the refunds into his own accounts. Additionally, he faces charges of mail fraud for unlawfully diverting another taxpayer’s mail to intercept a U.S. Treasury check.

“The sentence handed down to Mr. Hester should send a clear message that stealing from the American people is a serious offense,” said Veronica Hyman-Pillot, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “We will not tolerate such actions and will hold individuals accountable.”

U.S. Attorney Michael Moore echoed these sentiments: “Hester’s theft was not from some faceless entity but from every hardworking citizen. Our Treasury is off-limits to thieves like Hester.”

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the United States Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Thorpe prosecuting the case on behalf of the Government.