Craigslist IDs Fuel to Tax Refund Scheme
Roger Lexin Mai was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $57,481 for presenting false claims to the IRS.
Mr. Mai, 33, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of filing false claims. In pleading guilty, Mai admitted that from January to April 2003, he filed 17 false tax returns with the IRS. He purchased names and Social Security numbers through the Web site Craigslist for $20 per identity. He created false Wage and Tax Statements, Forms W-2, using the identities he purchased. He then created false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, which he filed electronically, claiming tax refunds of $107,049. The individuals to whom the identities belong did not authorize the sale or use of their identities.
Mr. Mai further admitted that in addition to the 17 false returns, to which he pleaded guilty, he electronically filed an additional 125 false Forms 1040 and Forms W-2, claiming refunds totaling $734,448.
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Tags: false federal income tax return
