U.S. Department of Justice Alice H. Martin United States Attorney Northern District of Alabama

FOURTEEN-COUNT INDICTMENT RETURNED AGAINST SELMA RESIDENT IN FRAUDULENT TAX REFUND SCHEME

BIRMINGHAM, AL - United States Attorney Alice H. Martin of the Northern District of Alabama and Gail J. Kenney, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations announce today that NATASHA LEE has been indicted by a federal grand jury for causing false claims for tax refunds to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

LEE,32,of Selma, Alabama, was charged in a fourteen-count indictment filed today at U. S. District Court in Birmingham. The indictment alleges that Lee caused false tax returns in the names of several individuals to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service in 2000, and 2001, and that she received approximately $58,873 in fraudulent in tax refunds based on her false claims.

The punishment for these offenses upon conviction is up to $3,500,000 in fines, 70 years imprisonment, special assessment fees of $1,400, restitution to the United States of the total amount of false claims, and a period of supervised release following imprisonment.

"I encourage anyone who believes that their name and social security number may have been illegally used in the preparation of a false tax return to contact the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and report that information," stated U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. "This is one of many forms of identity theft, and can make honest taxpayers face a more difficult time obtaining their lawful refund checks. The elderly, particularly, are victim to this type of fraud and should always be suspect if someone asks them for their social security number. The IRS is vigilant in their investigation of these schemes and have the full support of my office in prosecuting this criminal conduct."

Assistant United States Attorney Pat Meadows is prosecuting this case.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

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