Texas – Federal prosecutors have charged four family members with running a sophisticated tax refund fraud operation that obtained millions of dollars from the IRS. Last Monday, a federal grand jury in Fort Worth unsealed the indictment that says the conspiracy started in 2016.
Court documents reveal that the people who are being accused are David Hunt, who lives in Arlington, Texas, his twin sons Brandon and Baylon Hunt, and their half-brother Corey Burt, who lives in Mississippi. The indictment alleges that the group conspired to submit false tax returns on behalf of fictitious trusts. Over the course of several years, they filed claims with the IRS for more than $8.5 million in refunds that they didn’t ought to receive.
The prosecutors believe that the scam was complicated and involved more than just papers. Brandon and Baylon Hunt are accused of submitting the IRS fake financial documents and changed money orders to back up their claims. Brandon Hunt is additionally alleged to have filed a fake tax return in his own name. Authorities allege that the family was able to get back more than $1 million from the IRS because of these fake filings.
Investigators said that the money from the conspiracy was split up among the family members, and that money was moved between the defendants’ accounts. The indictment also says that the money was used to buy expensive things, put money into cryptocurrency, and buy property.
All four defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and many counts of making false tax returns. If they are found guilty, they may each spend up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and up to three years for each allegation of helping someone file a fraudulent return. In line with federal rules, sentencing will also take into account supervised release, restitution, and other fines.
The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. The Justice Department’s Tax Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas are in charge of the prosecution. Officials from the Department of Justice highlighted that they will keep going after people who try to cheat the federal tax system.
The case shows how severe federal tax fraud is and how much money and time is spent finding and prosecuting these kinds of crimes.
