Man Sentenced to Prison in Maryland for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

A 43-year-old man was sentenced in the District of Maryland to 21 months in prison for mail fraud in connection with a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Schenning for the District of Maryland.

According to documents filed with the court, from approximately November 2011 through March 2013, Timothy West, along with others, engaged in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming refunds to which they were not entitled. On two separate occasions, West hired a tax return preparer in Temple Hills, Maryland, to prepare fraudulent returns falsely claiming, among other things, that two individuals were his dependents. As part of the scheme, West and others then used these false tax returns as templates to prepare and file hundreds of additional fraudulent tax returns with the IRS seeking more than $413,000 in refunds. West caused a tax loss of approximately $284,706 as a result of his actions as part of the scheme.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm ordered West to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $284,706 in restitution to the IRS.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Schenning thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation and Treasury Office of Inspector General, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Pulice and Trial Attorneys William Guappone and Thomas F. Koelbl of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.