CONNECTICUT — A man who stole more than $600,000 through a tax fraud scheme will spend four years and three months in prison, IRS officials announced this week.
Benjamin Green III, 45, of Stratford, was convicted in November of one count of making false claim against the U.S. and one count of attempting to obstruct the administration of internal revenue laws, officials said.
According to the evidence, Green filed phony tax returns for 2008 to get a large tax refund, said IRS officials.
The object of the OID tax scheme is to obtain large tax refunds.
The IRS erroneously issued a $616,434 tax refund to Green based on his fraudulent tax return.
After receiving the refund, Green spent or dispersed almost all of the funds within months by taking trips to Hawaii and other locations, shopping at high-end retail-stores, paying off his mortgage and others loans, making improvements to his home, and giving money to family members, according to the IRS.
The IRS was eventually able to recover a portion of the erroneously issued refund through wages, bank accounts and the seizure of Green’s personal property.
The judge ordered Green to pay $582,074.50 in restitution.