Prisoner Filed 35 False Returns from Big House
Ronald Dean Wells was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and making false claims stemming from a false tax refund scheme he operated from Ohio prisons.According to the charges, Wells obtained the names and Social Security numbers of other prisoners, in most cases without their knowledge, which he used to prepare false tax returns claiming tax refunds in their names based on fictitious wages and tax withholdings. In fact, the named claimants did not have the reported wages and tax withholdings. Wells fabricated the wage and withholding information, generally forged the claimants’ signatures, and listed other persons’ addresses on the returns.
For the tax years 2000 and 2001, Wells filed 35 fraudulent income tax returns with the IRS, containing combined false and fictitious tax refund claims totaling $236,851. Based on 11 of these false claims, the IRS issued tax refund checks totaling approximately $56,189, which were negotiated by co-conspirators or other persons assisting Wells.
If convicted, Wells’ sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case.
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Tags: conspiracy, defraud, false tax refund, false tax return
