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Philadelphia Duo Convicted of Tax Fraud
A federal judge has convicted two Philadelphia residents of conspiring to defraud the United States and aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
Yolonda Thompson, also known as Qhama Al, and Albert Upshur, also known as Kelinde Jaha, were convicted at a bench trial of their roles in a massive tax fraud scheme that sought to obtain millions of dollars in fraudulent income tax refunds.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Thompson and Upshur formed the Yolonda Denise Thompson Living Trust and created the Debt Payoff Program, a fraudulent debt-relief scheme that promised participants access to funds to pay off their mortgages and other debts.
However, the scheme involved participants filing false tax returns prepared by Thompson, which collectively sought tax refunds of more than $300 million. The evidence at trial established that after the IRS began to investigate the Debt Payoff Program, Thompson and Upshur attempted to obtain money from the IRS by other fraudulent means, including using checks drawn on closed bank accounts and fake financial instruments.
Even after the IRS assessed civil penalties against Thompson and Upshur, and notified them that they were under criminal investigation, both defendants continued to file false returns and other tax documents for themselves and others.
Thompson and Upshur are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and three years in prison for each false return count.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg praised the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which provided support in the investigation and prosecution of this case. IRS Criminal Investigation also played a key role in the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Kathryn D. Sparks of the Justice Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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