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Seven Years for Grand Rapids Check-Writing and Tax Refund Schemer
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – Marvin Deshawn Whetstone, 34, formerly of Grand Rapids, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for check-writing and income tax refund schemes.
U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell imposed the sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release after prison, and ordered Whetstone to pay restitution and forfeit his Bentley Continental, which was purchased with proceeds of the crimes.
The scheme, which ran from June 2012 through October 2014, involved Whetstone recruiting accomplices to open bank accounts and writing thousands of dollars of bad checks to purchase goods. The goods were then sold online.
In addition to the check-writing scheme, Whetstone used accomplices to recruit individuals who had no legitimate employment and were not entitled to income tax refunds to provide him with their identifying information. He then filed fraudulent income tax returns in their names to obtain tax refunds, which were directly deposited into prepaid debit cards.
Whetstone defrauded the U.S. Postal Service and retailers of approximately $100,000, and the Internal Revenue Service of approximately $54,000, totaling $154,000 in stolen funds.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler. Whetstone’s accomplices were not named in the press release.
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Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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