OREGON
A former Portland, Oregon, resident was sentenced to serve two years in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent income tax refund scheme, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Brandon Leath, 36, pleaded guilty on July 23 to one count of conspiracy to file false claims and one count of theft of government funds.
U.S. District Judge for the District of Oregon Robert E. Jones also ordered Leath to pay $55,635 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
According to court documents, Leath conspired with others, including his wife, Shawntina Ware, to file more than 227 false income tax returns fraudulently claiming more than $1 million in refunds.
The false information on the tax returns included fictitious W-2 wages and inflated withholding amounts. The co-conspirators often shared the fraudulent refunds with each other by splitting the refund into multiple bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators or their family and friends, court records indicate.
Three of Leath’s co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to various charges and are scheduled to be sentenced.
On June 5, co-conspirator Jasmine Mason pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18. Ware pleaded guilty on July 23 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6.
Co-Conspirator Tataneisha White pleaded guilty on Oct. 1 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7.