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Tax Scammer Brought to Justice: Talashia Hinton Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
Talashia Hinton, a 24-year-old Phenix City, Alabama resident, has been sentenced to serve 94 months in prison for her role in a massive stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) conspiracy.
According to court documents, Hinton was part of a large-scale SIRF scheme that involved filing over 8,000 false tax returns for 2012 and 2013, fraudulently claiming more than $20 million in federal income tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Hinton worked with Keshia Lanier, who supplied her with IRS Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) in the names of sham tax preparation businesses and stolen personal information, including names and social security numbers. Hinton used the EFINs and stolen personal information to prepare and file false income tax returns that fraudulently claimed tax refunds.
At the direction of Lanier, Hinton also obtained stolen identities from Tamika Floyd, who stole names from a database maintained by the state of Alabama. Hinton used some of those names to file false returns, emailed some of the names to Lanier, and delivered other names to another co-conspirator, Tracy Mitchell and her family, who used the names to file false returns.
Hinton then directed the IRS to pay the refunds by issuing U.S. Treasury checks and direct deposits onto prepaid debit cards. Hinton pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims and aggravated identity theft.
The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Michael C. Boteler and Gregory P. Bailey of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross of the Middle District of Alabama.
Talashia Hinton, 24, of Phenix City, Alabama, was sentenced to 94 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,173,704. This scheme involved over 8,000 false tax returns for 2012 and 2013, fraudulently claiming more than $20 million in federal income tax refunds.
Her co-conspirators, Keshia Lanier, Tracy Mitchell, and Tamika Floyd, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the SIRF scheme and were sentenced to 180 months, 159 months, and 87 months in prison, respectively.
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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