Tony Bryant, Son and Tarkara Cooper Guilty in $20M Tax Fraud Scheme

Three defendants — Tony Bryant, 55, of Clinton, Md.; his son, Brian Bryant, 29, also of Clinton, Md.; and Tarkara Cooper, 34, of Washington, D.C. — were found guilty today in a sprawling $20 million tax refund fraud scheme built on stolen identities, phony dependents, and fake businesses. A federal jury in Washington, D.C. convicted all three on conspiracy charges, marking a major blow to a criminal network that filed at least 12,000 fraudulent tax returns across multiple years.

The verdicts, handed down in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, include multiple counts of theft of public money and aggravated identity theft. Tony Bryant was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit theft of government funds and to defraud the United States, plus five counts of theft of public money and five counts of aggravated identity theft. Brian Bryant was found guilty of the same conspiracy count, three counts of theft of public money, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Tarkara Cooper was convicted of the conspiracy and five counts of theft of public money.

Federal authorities say the scheme ran from April 2010 through June 2012 and involved more than 130 participants, many of whom were on public assistance and willing to lend their names and addresses. The conspirators targeted vulnerable populations — including the elderly, drug addicts, and incarcerated individuals — using their stolen identities to file false returns for tax years 2005 through 2012. Refund checks were routed to over 400 addresses in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, often cashed or deposited into accounts controlled by the ring.

According to evidence presented, the fraud relied on creating fictitious sole proprietorships with inflated income and inventing dependents to trigger the Earned Income Tax Credit — a benefit meant for low-income working families. The returns were forged, mailed, or e-filed, and refund checks were endorsed using victims’ stolen signatures. Cooper allowed her Washington, D.C. residence to receive checks and was paid to hand them over. The Bryants funneled money through bank accounts under their control, acting as financial hubs in the operation.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for D.C., IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman, Postal Inspection Service Inspector Joseph Cronin, and Treasury Assistant Inspector General John L. Phillips all announced the verdicts. The case has already seen approximately two dozen other participants plead guilty in the same court.

Sentencing is set for April 28, 2017, for Tony and Brian Bryant before Judge Rosemary M. Collyer. Cooper will be sentenced on May 26, 2017. Each faces years in federal prison, steep fines, and restitution orders. The case underscores how deeply organized crime can infiltrate the nation’s tax system — and how aggressively federal investigators are cracking down.

RELATED: Cincy Man Gets 10 Years for Meth Push

RELATED: Meth Kingpin Gets Decade Behind Bars