Alabama Women Indicted in $2.8 Million Conspiracy

to Use Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a 25-count indictment charging Larreka Jackson for conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, filing false claims, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

According to the indictment, Jackson operated a tax preparation business called It’s Tax Time in Montgomery, Ala. Jackson used It’s Tax Time as a front to file false tax returns using stolen identities. Jackson unlawfully obtained the names and Social Security numbers of actual persons and filed false tax returns using those names. Jackson directed the fraudulent tax refund to bank accounts controlled by her and her co-conspirators. In total, Jackson filed over 500 tax returns claiming over $2.8 million in fraudulent tax refunds.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy to file false claims, 5 years for each false claim count, 20 years for each wire fraud count and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft counts. Jackson is also subject to fines and mandatory restitution if convicted.

The case was investigated by special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Jason H. Poole and Michael Boteler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax.