Former Internal Revenue Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to a Wire Fraud and Identity Theft Scheme

In Austin today, 57-year-old former Internal Revenue Service employee Kenneth Goheen of Austin pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a stolen identity refund fraud scheme announced Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge William Cotter, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Special Agent in Charge Ruben Florez, Dallas Field Division

Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin, Goheen pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  By pleading guilty, Goheen, a former Tax Examining Technician, admitted that he wrongfully obtained identification information from Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) applicants and used it to file more than 50 fraudulent tax returns between March 2013 and January 2015.  Goheen collected over $120,000 in refunds based on those fraudulent tax returns.

As a result of his guilty plea, Goheen faces up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and a mandatory two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft.  Sentencing is expected to occur later this year in front of United States District Judge Lee Yeakel.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).  Assistant United States Attorney Matt Harding is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.