Today, a Pierce County woman was handed a three-year sentence for her involvement in an identity theft and tax refund fraud scheme that netted over $95,000. BARBARA HOLLY STAHLMAN, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald B. Leighton in Tacoma.
STAHLMAN, who was indicted in February 2013, had been filing false electronic tax returns using stolen personal information between 2010 and 2013. She claimed over $500,000 in false refunds, with $223,383 being paid out by the IRS before detection.
According to U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan, STAHLMAN’s actions not only damaged the integrity of the IRS but also caused significant harm to her victims. These innocent individuals were ensnared by the IRS due to returns they never filed and refunds they never received, a situation that will take years to rectify.
The Justice Department has prioritized the investigation and prosecution of stolen identity refund fraud cases, charging over 880 defendants in the past year alone. The IRS closed approximately 963,000 cases involving identity theft victims during this time.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reese Jennings.
For more information, contact Tessa Gorman at 206-553-7970 or Tessa.Gorman@usdoj.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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