Former Oregon Resident Sentenced to Prison for Role in One Million Dollar Tax Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON – A former resident of Portland, Oregon was sentenced to 37 months in prison today for her role in a tax refund fraud scheme, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Tataneisha White, 43, admitted to conspiring with multiple individuals, including Jasmine Mason, Shawntina Ware and Brandon Leath, all of Portland, to file more than 227 false income tax returns claiming more than $1 million in fraudulent refunds.  The false information on the tax returns included fictitious W-2 wages and inflated withholding amounts to generate tax refunds ranging from $1,000 to $12,000.  White also admitted that she and her co-conspirators shared personal identifying information and employer information with each other to file the false returns.  White directed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to divide the fraudulently obtained tax refunds between bank accounts and debit cards controlled by White and others, including friends and family members of White and her co-conspirators.  In October 2015, White pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims, one count of filing a false claim and one count of theft of government funds.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones ordered White to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $626,750.  Mason and Leath previously pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced to 32 months and 24 months in prison, respectively.  Ware also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Trial Attorneys Lori A. Hendrickson and Ryan R. Raybould of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.  Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for their valuable assistance.

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