{"id":22414,"date":"2016-04-13T11:39:35","date_gmt":"2016-04-13T18:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=22414"},"modified":"2016-04-13T11:39:35","modified_gmt":"2016-04-13T18:39:35","slug":"former-bank-teller-cashed-360-fraudulent-tax-refunds-fee-sentenced-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=22414","title":{"rendered":"Former Bank Teller Who Cashed More than 361 Fraudulent Tax Refund Checks for a “Fee” Sentenced to Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

GEORGIA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A \u00a055-year-old former bank teller who agreed to cash fraudulent tax refund checks for a “fee” was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Treasury checks totaled more than $780,000, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

A federal judge sentenced\u00a0Vicky Wheeler, <\/strong>of Columbus, Georgia,\u00a0for her role in a stolen identity refund conspiracy, according to authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to court documents, this is the evidence:<\/span><\/p>\n

Between February 2013 and May 2014, Wheeler worked as a bank teller at a SunTrust Bank branch in Columbus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wheeler was approached by several co-conspirators who wanted her to cash fraudulently obtained tax refund checks in exchange for a fee.\u00a0 Wheeler was informed that the tax refund checks were generated from tax returns filed using stolen identities.<\/span><\/p>\n

To disguise the fraudulent nature of the checks, Wheeler made false entries on the face of the checks to make it appear as if she received identification when the checks were cashed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wheeler never received any forms of identification.\u00a0 In total, Wheeler received and cashed approximately 361 fraudulent tax refund checks, including U.S. Treasury checks and tax refund checks issued by financial institutions that claimed $780,760.17 in tax refunds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe prosecution of stolen identity refund crimes remains a top priority of the department,\u201d said Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cThese cases are not limited to those individuals who file fictitious tax returns.\u00a0 We will vigorously pursue participants at all levels of these schemes, including those who steal identities and those who, like Ms. Wheeler, assist in cashing the refund checks that result from the fraud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStolen identity refund fraud results in major loss of revenue to the United States Government,\u201d said Special Agent in Charge Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u201cVicky Wheeler abused her position of trust and allowed greed and deceit to fuel criminal behavior.\u00a0 Today she is being held accountable for her actions.\u00a0 Her prison sentence and restitution order should send a message that refund fraud, greed, and deceit does not payoff in the end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land<\/strong> ordered Wheeler to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution in the amount of $780,760.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 55-year-old former bank teller who resides in Columbus, Georgia, agreed to cash fraudulent tax refund checks for a “fee” was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to officials.
\nThe U.S. Treasury checks totaled more than $780,000, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,48,3],"tags":[2496,1725,2497],"class_list":["post-22414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-irs","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-bank-teller","tag-irs","tag-u-s-treasury-checks"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Bank Teller Who Cashed More than 361 Fraudulent Tax Refund Checks for a "Fee" Sentenced to Prison<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 55-year-old former bank teller who resides in Columbus, Georgia, agreed to cash fraudulent tax refund checks for a "fee" was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to officials. 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