{"id":24472,"date":"2016-06-17T15:56:44","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T22:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24472"},"modified":"2016-06-17T15:56:44","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T22:56:44","slug":"florida-couple-sentenced-prison-falsely-filing-claims-1-5-million-tax-refunds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24472","title":{"rendered":"Florida Couple Sentenced for Falsely Filing More than 700 Tax Refund Claims Totaling More Than $1.5 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"

FLORIDA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

A federal judge sentenced a couple to six years and three months in prison for falsely filing Tax Refund claims totaling more than $1.5 million, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DepartmentThursday, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom sentenced Rhonda Perry Gittens<\/strong>, 35. \u00a0Gittens\u2019 boyfriend and co-conspirator, Walther Wilson Godfrey,<\/strong> 37, was sentenced on April 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

Godfrey and Gittens filed more than 700 fraudulent tax returns requesting more than $1.5 million in income tax refunds.\u00a0 In addition, Godfrey and Gittens possessed device-making equipment including an identification card printer, a credit card embosser, hologram stickers for driver\u2019s licenses and credit cards and blank credit cards, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Bloom also ordered Godfrey and Gittens to pay $792,442 in restitution to the IRS, prosecutors said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Godfrey and Gittens pleaded guilty in January to one count of a multi-object conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit wire fraud and commit aggravated identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of access device fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

On June 16, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom sentenced Rhonda Perry Gittens, 35. \u00a0Gittens\u2019 boyfriend and co-conspirator, Walther Wilson Godfrey, 37, was previously sentenced on April 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Bloom also ordered Godfrey and Gittens to pay $792,442 in restitution to the IRS, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Godfrey and Gittens pleaded guilty in January to one count of a multi-object conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit wire fraud and commit aggravated identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of access device fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe sentences imposed by Judge Bloom reflect the serious harm caused by the defendants\u2019 scheme to enrich themselves at the expense of the U.S. Treasury and their identity theft victims,\u201d said Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline Ciraolo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding, \u201cThe defendants attempted to hide\u00a0behind a veneer of corporate and nominee identities that ultimately provided no bar to the investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners.\u00a0 Return preparers who seek to profit through false tax returns face harsh punishment and the result in this case should deter other individuals from engaging in similar schemes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the court evidence, between July 2009 and August 2014, Godfrey, Gittens and others conspired to defraud the IRS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gittens owned and operated 2G, Inc., a tax return preparation business, and G&G Check Cashing Inc<\/strong>., a check cashing business, both of which were located in Pembroke Pines, according to authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Godfrey and Gittens obtained the personal identification information of actual individuals, some deceased, including names, social security numbers, addresses and dates of birth, without the individuals\u2019 authorization, to prepare and file false income tax refund claims for the years 2009 through 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

Godfrey and Gittens recruited a co-conspirator, Marc Brown, to put Electronic Filing Identification Numbers in his name through which fraudulent income tax returns would be filed.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Godfrey and Gittens directed Brown to set up companies and bank accounts in his name to negotiate the fraudulently obtained income tax refund checks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal judge sentenced a couple to six years and three months in prison for falsely filing Tax Refund claims totaling more than $1.5 million, according to officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,48,3],"tags":[424],"class_list":["post-24472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-irs","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-tax-fraud"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida Couple Sentenced for Falsely Filing More than 700 Tax Refund Claims Totaling More Than $1.5 Million<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A federal judge sentenced a couple to six years and three months in prison for falsely filing Tax Refund claims totaling more than $1.5 million, according to officials.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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