HAMMOND — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Indiana, Northern), published as received.
HAMMOND – The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana Thomas L. Kirsch II announced a ten-count indictment against Yvonna Lee, age 32, of Merrillville; Latonya Foxx, age 31, of Indianapolis; and Tanisha Bledsoe, age 44, of Chicago, Illinois for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “We work with the Internal Revenue Service to aggressively investigate and prosecute people who commit tax fraud. Cheating the IRS -- stealing from the United States Treasury -- is stealing from all of us.”
Documents in this case allege the defendants engaged in a tax fraud scheme. They filed hundreds of fraudulent federal tax returns, which returned inflated tax refunds for their clients. In exchange, the defendants received kickbacks from the clients for the inflated refunds. Lee was the recruiter who found clients and obtained personal identifying information that they needed to file tax returns. Lee gave the information to Foxx and Bledsoe who then filed the tax returns with the IRS. To hide their involvement, Foxx and Bledsoe filed the returns without identifying themselves as the preparers. Lee, Foxx, and Bledsoe are charged with wire fraud. Foxx and Lee are also charged with aggravated identify theft for filing some tax returns without the knowledge and consent of the taxpayers.
The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty in court.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria N. Lerner is prosecuting this case.
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