The grimy streets of Tolland, CT, are now a scene of federal justice as George D. Telford Jr., 36, faces an eight-count indictment for a massive tax and fraud scheme that authorities claim netted over $6 million in fraudulent refunds.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, Telford is alleged to have concocted fake trust entities to bilk the IRS out of supposed tax overpayments. From 2019 to 2020, he filed five falsified federal tax returns, claiming nearly $6.2 million in refunds. His most lucrative attempt? A refund of $564,758 for the “Telford Asset Family Trust” for the 2018 tax year.
But Telford’s schemes didn’t end with the IRS. In 2022 and 2023, he allegedly conned the Connecticut Department of Labor into paying out $48,792 in unemployment insurance benefits to individuals he claimed were laid off from “High Class Grads LLC,” a company he purportedly owned. However, it turned out that High Class Grads was not employing these individuals and had not paid them wages.
The indictment charges Telford with five counts of making and subscribing a false tax return, each carrying a maximum sentence of three years, and three counts of wire fraud, with each count potentially resulting in 20 years behind bars.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan emphasizes that an indictment is not proof of guilt, and Telford is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Currently, he is in state custody for unrelated alleged criminal conduct.
This case is a collaborative effort between the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Susan Wines are leading the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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