A group of fraudsters who conspired to file at least 208 phony tax
returns, claiming more than $1 million in refunds, pleaded guilty Monday in
Portland's U.S. District Court.
The key player in the conspiracy, 32-year-old Jheraun Dunlap,
acknowledged that the tax returns he filed were fraudulent. Under the terms of
a contract plea agreement, he is expected to serve a five-year, five-month
sentence.
Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones accepted guilty pleas from
Dunlap and three of his co-conspirators for their roles in the tax-fraud scheme.
Ernest Bagsby is expected to serve five years, one month; Jermaine
Moore is set to serve a little less than four years; and Brandi McCall is
expected to be sentenced to 12 months.
The four are scheduled for sentencing on April 21.
They were indicted in September for their roles in a conspiracy that
began in January 2011 and continued until May 2012, government prosecutors told
Jones. The co-conspirators filed false tax returns using the names and Social
Security numbers of other people.
Refunds were mailed back to the schemers in the form of stored-value
debit cards, prosecutors said.
Late last week, a man serving time in an Oklahoma prison pleaded not
guilty for his role in a similar scheme allegedly perpetrated in Oregon.
Brandon Leath, 41, faces a 110-count indictment that accuse him and his
wife, Shawntina Ware – along with alleged co-conspirators Lori Nicholson,
Jasmine Mason and Tataneisha White – of playing roles in the filing of at least
227 false federal income tax returns.
The five also laid claim to more than $1 million in refunds,
prosecutors allege.
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