Tax Fraud Scheme Lands Hammond Woman Behind Bars

NEW ORLEANS – A Hammond woman has been sentenced to 36 months imprisonment for her role in a multi-year tax fraud scheme.

Raven Hughes, 28, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft for her involvement in the scheme, which spanned from 2009 to 2012.

According to court documents, Hughes obtained the name and social security number of unsuspecting individuals and used that information to prepare false tax returns that claimed large tax refunds.

The refund checks were mailed to multiple Post Office Boxes throughout Louisiana, as well as to Hughes’s residence in Hammond, and were also sent electronically via wire into one of Hughes’s four bank accounts.

Once the tax refund checks were received, Hughes falsely endorsed and cashed the checks, and also arranged for some of the refunds to be transmitted electronically into bank accounts under her control.

In total, Hughes caused not fewer than 148 federal income tax returns to be submitted in the names of at least 103 different individuals without their knowledge or authorization.

As a result of the conduct described above, between 2009 and 2012 Hughes received approximately $199,050.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation in investigating this matter, and Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg was in charge of the prosecution.

Hughes was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $119,050 to the Internal Revenue Service as part of her sentence.