BOSTON, MA - A Florida woman was convicted in federal court of engaging in a scheme to defraud CADlink Technology Corporation (“CADlink”), a software company with offices in Clinton, Massachusetts.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Kevin J. McGlynn, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, announced today that BONNIE SHARRIT, age 60, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded no contest before U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor to three counts of impersonating a government official and ten counts of wire fraud.

At the plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that between September and December 2003, SHARRIT engaged in a scheme to defraud CADlink, a Canadian-based company with offices in the Boston area, by billing the company for false and unnecessary services and expenses. SHARRIT accomplished her scheme to defraud by representing to CADlink that the company and its principals had tax problems resulting in the imposition of government liens and levies and that she could assist in the resolution of these matters based upon her status as a contract auditor for the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and her tax expertise. Through her false representations, SHARRIT induced CADlink to retain her services in order to resolve the alleged tax problems. SHARRIT prepared and sent to CADlink numerous fictitious documents purportedly prepared by various state and federal government agencies concerning the bogus tax issues, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. SHARRIT also prepared and sent numerous fictitious letters and e-mail messages in the names of purported IRS employees, through which she attempted to bolster her credibility with false representations regarding her educational and professional background and expertise.

As a result of her execution of this scheme, SHARRIT convinced CADlink to pay her $46,000, although the company was able to stop payment on some of its checks to her. SHARRIT neither performed any legitimate services for CADlink nor paid any of the money she received from the company to any government agencies on CADlink’s behalf.

Judge Saylor scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2010. SHARRIT faces up to 3 years imprisonment, to be followed by 1 year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each false personation offense. In addition, SHARRIT faces up to 20 years imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervise release and a $250,000 fine for each wire fraud offense.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bookbinder and Linda M. Ricci of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.

 

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