Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 7-29-16 Online Edition

Tax Frauds
Couple To Be Sentenced On Tax Fraud Charges
A Hillsborough County couple is slated to be sen- tenced in federal court on Friday. They both pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges earlier this year.
On March 30, 2016, Ms. Ynessa Brown and Thelo- nius Robertson pleaded guilty in federal court to con- spiring to commit tax fraud and aggravated identity theft. They also agreed to make restitution and repay $767,398 to the federal gov-
YNESSA BROWN
THELONIUS ROBERTSON
ernment.
According to court docu-
ments, between January 2012 and June 2013, Ms. Brown and Robertson used stolen identities to file false tax returns. Many of the fraudulent claims featured the names of two people fil- ing jointly. And, in many of the cases, one or both of the victims were deceased.
Officials said the couple directed the refunds to debit cards to themselves, family
members, friends, and in some instances, to vacant ad- dresses. In total, Ms. Brown and Robertson ad- mited to filing false returns attempting to obtain more than $2.7 million.
Ms. Brown and Robertson are both facing a maximum of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. After serving that sentence, they will also serve two years for the identity theft charge.
Tax Fraud Case:
Woman Gets 15 Months; Must Repay Government $52,735
On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced a Tampa woman to 15 months (1 year, 3 Months) in federal prison. She entered a guilty plea in the case on December 11, 2015.
U. S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr., sen- tenced Ms. LaTosha Strong, 39, for her role in filing false federal income tax returns in the names of deceased individ- uals.
The Court also ordered Ms. Strong to repay $52,735.71 in restitution to the U. S. Treas- ury. The money was sent to at least five different bank ac- counts in Ms. Strong’s name, officials stated in court docu- ments.
According to her plea agreement, Ms. Strong and others filed fraudulent federal income tax returns using infor- mation of deceased people. Of- ficials said all of those refunds were in the names of 10 de- ceased people. Several of the false income tax returns claimed identical refund amounts.
The group had reportedly defrauded the government of $85,814 with claims filed be- tween March 9, 2011 and No- vember 15, 2012. However, the government recovered $33,078.29 through federal
seizure warrants and financial institution reclamations, offi- cials said.
Investigators said the tax forms were prepared and sub- mitted electronically and the money was deposited into ac- counts at the Tampa Bay Fed- eral Credit Union belonging to Ms. Strong.
Officials said Ms. Strong and her co-conspirators shared the money from the scheme, spending it in a variety of ways, including at a local casino.
Investigators said Ms. Strong also purchased two cars, a 2005 Nissan and a 2006 Mercedes in 2011. However, records show that she had no record of income between 2008 and 2012.
LATOSHA STRONG
... Sentenced to 15 months in federal prison
FYI
Registration Deadline To Vote Draws Near
The last day for Hillsborough County residents to register to vote in the upcoming election is Monday, August 1st. Anyone wishing to vote during the Primary Election must be registered by the deadline.
Early voting will begin on August 15th and end on August 28. The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, August 30th.
Anyone wishing to change their political party must also do so by Monday, August 1st.
During the Primary Election, voters will choose a U. S. Senator, U. S. Representative, State Senator, State Representative, Clerk of Circuit Court, Property Appraiser, County Commissioners, School Board Members, and Judges.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016