Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty for Involvement in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Ring | WPN World People News

A Phenix City, Alabama, on June 1 resident pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Alabama for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) scheme, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama.

According to court documents, between March 2011 and May 2014, Teresa Floyd conspired with her daughter, Lasondra Miles Davis, and others to defraud the United States by filing false federal income tax returns using stolen identities. Miles Davis obtained the means of identification of individuals without their authorization and provided the stolen identities to Floyd. Floyd and her co-conspirators obtained Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the names of tax preparation businesses, which Floyd then used to file false tax returns with the stolen identities. All of the false returns included fraudulent claims for tax refunds. Floyd, Miles Davis and others cashed the refund checks at several companies in Alabama and Georgia, and Floyd deposited refund checks into her bank account.

Floyd faces a mandatory statutory sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count and an additional statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count. Both counts include a statutory maximum fine of $250,000. Miles Davis pleaded guilty on April 10 to one count of aggravated identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12.

Source: U.S.Department of Justice