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Rochester Woman Sentenced for $1.6M Tax Scam
A Rochester woman was handed a stiff sentence for her role in a massive tax scam that bilked the IRS out of $1.6 million.
Michele Torres, 38, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay back $1,644,202.96 in restitution to the IRS by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
Torres was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States along with her co-conspirators, who used stolen identities to file false tax refund claims with the IRS.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, the scheme involved filing tax refund claims using stolen identities and issuing refund checks to various addresses in Rochester.
However, Torres and her co-conspirators were not content with just collecting the checks. They would then send the checks to accomplices in New York City in exchange for a fee, raking in millions of dollars in the process.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. said the case highlights the devastating impact of identity fraud on individuals and the government. He encouraged taxpayers to visit www.stopfraud.gov to learn more about protecting their identities.
The investigation that led to Torres’ conviction was a joint effort between the FBI and the IRS, with Special Agents working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Torres’ sentence serves as a warning to those who would seek to exploit the tax system for their own gain. As the authorities continue to crack down on white-collar crime, it’s clear that the consequences of getting caught will be severe.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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