Former Resident of Nevada and Montana Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing the IRS

A former resident of Nevada and Montana was sentenced to 36 months in prison yesterday for interfering with the internal revenue laws, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson for the District of Montana.

According to documents filed with the court, from March 2010 through September 2014, Steven D. Pjevach filed tax returns seeking refunds using personal identification information that he solicited through phony help-wanted advertisements that he posted on Craigslist.  The filings directed the IRS to send the fraudulent refunds to bank accounts in Pjevach’s name and the names of other individuals, who Pjevach supplied with false information in order to permit him to use their accounts. 

In addition to the term of prison imposed, Pjevach was ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $239,337.10 in restitution to the IRS.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Johnson commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad C. Spraker, who prosecuted the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.