Whitley Carter Sentenced for $4M IRS Refund Fraud Scheme

HOUSTON – In a shocking turn of events, Whitley Rachelle Carter, 33, has been locked away for her role in a sophisticated $4 million IRS refund fraud scheme. Carter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud on October 2, 2023.

The court ordered Carter to serve 30 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The victimized banks, Regions Bank and PNC Bank, will receive restitution totaling $4,483,987.89.

“A stolen Lamborghini, stolen checks, fake identities—those are the ingredients for a scheme to steal almost $4 million in IRS refunds,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “Carter’s brazen actions won’t be tolerated.”

Carter and her co-conspirators, Kuljinder Singh Hunjan and Benjamin Thomas, were exposed when authorities discovered a couple had not received their expected $2,932,446.84 IRS refund check in January 2022.

Investigations revealed that Carter, Hunjan, and Thomas used counterfeit identification to open fraudulent bank accounts at Regions Bank, where they deposited the stolen refund checks. Surveillance footage, fingerprints, phone calls, and CashApp transactions helped authorities link the trio together.

Thomas was arrested on April 13, 2022, while driving a stolen Lamborghini with $800 withdrawn from the fraudulently created account. Hunjan and Thomas pleaded guilty to the same charges in February and October 2023, respectively. Hunjan received a 42-month sentence, while Thomas got 90 months.

The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, Treasury Inspector General, Secret Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.