William Helton Sentenced To 129 Months for Tax Fraud Conspiracies

Lexington, Ky. – The grimy halls of Kentucky’s correctional facilities have seen another dark chapter close as William Helton, 37, from Mt. Sterling, was sentenced to a staggering 129 months in federal prison for his role in a tax fraud conspiracy.

Helton, who was already serving time for burglary, theft and drugs, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The sentence is part of the heavy penalty he will face for orchestrating a scheme that siphoned $390,000 in fraudulent tax refunds over four years.

In a plea agreement, Helton confessed to collaborating with Jason Tyre, an outside co-conspirator, through a prison pen-pal program. They hatched a plan where they and other accomplices submitted numerous false tax returns using the personal information of unsuspecting prisoners. The deception was executed by filling out tax forms with falsified details about filing status, income, employment, and dependents to inflate refund amounts.

Helton confessed to acquiring other prisoners’ social security numbers without their knowledge and providing this sensitive data to Tyre. Under Helton’s direction, Tyre then opened bank accounts in his own name to hold the illicit proceeds from the fraudulent tax refunds. The conspirators later wired the money to various co-conspirators.

Judge Danny C. Reeves also ordered Helton to pay $96,522 in restitution, plus interest. Under federal law, Helton must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence and will be on supervised release for three years upon his release from prison.

Tyre is set to face sentencing on May 26. The investigation was led by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the IRS, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj Gupta prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government.

RELATED: Christian John: Life for Brooklyn Gang Kingpin