Tax refund fraud has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with thousands of individuals and families falling victim to scammers each year. One such case came to a head recently when Tataneisha White, a 43-year-old former resident of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for her role in a $1 million tax refund fraud scheme. White’s scheme involved conspiring with multiple individuals, including Jasmine Mason, Shawntina Ware, and Brandon Leath, all of Portland, to file more than 227 false income tax returns claiming more than $1 million in fraudulent refunds.
The false information on the tax returns included fictitious W-2 wages and inflated withholding amounts to generate tax refunds ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. White also admitted that she and her co-conspirators shared personal identifying information and employer information with each other to file the false returns. White directed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to divide the fraudulently obtained tax refunds between bank accounts and debit cards controlled by White and others, including friends and family members of White and her co-conspirators.
White pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims, one count of filing a false claim, and one count of theft of government funds. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones ordered White to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $626,750.
This case is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of tax refund fraud. Not only did White and her co-conspirators steal millions of dollars from the government, but they also put innocent individuals and families at risk of financial ruin. It is imperative that we continue to crack down on these types of crimes and bring perpetrators like White to justice.
White’s co-conspirators, including Mason and Leath, have also been charged in connection with the scheme. Mason and Leath previously pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced to 32 months and 24 months in prison, respectively. Ware, another co-conspirator, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27.
The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Lori A. Hendrickson and Ryan R. Raybould of the Tax Division. Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for their valuable assistance in the case.
Tataneisha White’s sentencing serves as a warning to would-be tax refund scammers that they will be caught and held accountable for their crimes. We urge anyone with information about tax refund fraud to come forward and report it to the authorities.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on their website.
Related Federal Cases
- Danyelle Calcagno, Tax Fraud Scheme, Oregon 2017 · Louisiana
- Adrianne Marta Frazer, Tax Refund Fraud, Arizona 2023 · Florida
- Yuriy Viktorovich Vasilchuk, Financial Fraud and Cyber-Enabled Theft, Oregon 2023 · North Carolina
- Ruoyu Duan, Trafficking and Financial Fraud, Oregon 2025 · Iowa
- Chae Sun Kim, Bank Fraud and Identity Theft, Oregon 2016 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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