ATLANTA, GEORGIA – In a brazen scheme to swindle the US government, three members of a local fraud ring have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by filing bogus income tax returns using stolen identities.
Rodney Henry, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, along with Tony Lamar Watkins and Phyllis Grant, stole more than $800,000 in the form of fraudulent tax refunds. The trio used stolen identities to file federal income tax returns, with Henry filing returns seeking more than $1.9 million in refunds.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: Rodney Henry, Tony Watkins, and Phyllis Grant worked together to use stolen identities to file federal income tax returns. Henry filed the tax-returns, which sought more than $1.9 million in refunds. Watkins assisted in the scheme by retrieving refund checks from mailboxes, forging signatures on the checks, withdrawing refunds from debit cards, and bringing checks to locations where they would be cashed. Grant opened two mailboxes for their scheme in Mableton, Georgia, and one in East Point, Georgia. She also provided Henry with some of the identities he used on the returns.
Defendant Information:
Rodney Henry, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to seven years, ten months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $895,699.28. Henry was convicted on this charge, as well as a charge of aggravated identity theft, on May 22, 2014, after he pleaded guilty.
Tony Lamar Watkins, 49, of College Park, Georgia, has been sentenced to four years, seven months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $824,121.28. Watkins was convicted on this charge on May 23, 2014, after he pleaded guilty.
Phyllis Grant, 52, of Decatur, Georgia, has been sentenced to one year, two months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $770,231.00. Grant was convicted on this charge after a jury found her guilty on March 12, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Bly prosecuted the case.
This announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.
Related Federal Cases
- Angela Miller and Lee Lynwood, Tax Return Fraud, Georgia 2008 · Georgia
- Kimberly Michelle Banks, Identity Theft Tax Fraud, Georgia 2023 · Georgia
- Willie C. Grant, Aggravated Identity Theft and Tax Refund Fraud, Georgia 2008 · Washington
- Maurice Hester, Tax Fraud, Georgia 2013 · Georgia
- Irene Tamika Smith, Tax Fraud Conspiracy, Georgia 2023 · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
