Vedas Engineer, Wire Fraud, Texas 2018

HOUSTON, Texas - In a brazen scheme that left over 200 victims in its wake, two Houston men have been ordered to federal prison for their role in a tax impersonation scam.

Vedas Engineer, 34, and Bhavdip Sanghavi, 37, pleaded guilty in July and December 2017, respectively, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Engineer and Sanghavi were ordered to serve 96 months in prison, with both also given three years of supervised release following their sentences. The pair were also ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.

The scheme involved victims across the United States who were pressured to pay money to resolve alleged tax debts via wire transfers.

'Over the past five years, TIGTA has received reports of over 2.3 million impersonation-related calls with over 14,000 victims reporting losses of almost $70 million,' said Special Agent in Charge Gary Smith of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

'Victimizing taxpayers by impersonating IRS employees is a serious crime. TIGTA and our law enforcement partners are doing everything within our power to ensure that those involved in the impersonation of IRS employees are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'

TIGTA conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer prosecuting the case.

The court considered the offense, which involved over 200 victims across the United States, some of whom were elderly, when imposing the sentence.

Vedas Engineer and Bhavdip Sanghavi will serve 96 months in prison, with both receiving three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-men-sentenced-tax-impersonation-scam