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Three Plead Guilty in Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Case
Jackson, Miss – Sharon Grear, 47, of Hermanville, Tonya Grear, 29, of Jackson, and Pinkie Tyler, 30, of Jackson, have entered guilty pleas before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William H. Barbour in a case involving the filing of false federal tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Jerome R. McDuffie, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.
Sharon Grear pled guilty on August 2, 2016 to one count of aggravated identity theft. She will be sentenced on October 11, 2016, and faces a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release.
Tonya Grear pled guilty on July 19, 2016 to one count of theft of government funds. She will be sentenced on September 27, 2016 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000.00 fine followed by and three years of supervised release.
Pinkie Tyler pled guilty on August 9, 2016 to one count of theft of government funds. She will be sentenced on October 18, 2016 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine, and three years of supervised release.
“The victims of identity theft and tax refund fraud are often the most vulnerable members of our communities such as the elderly and disabled,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis. “All tax payers become victims when fraudulent refunds are paid out of the U.S. Treasury. Working together with our law enforcement partners from IRS – Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who cause harm to the U.S. taxpayers.”
IRS Special Agent in Charge, Jerome R. McDuffie, stated: “Crimes involving identity theft remain a priority for the Special Agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation. It is imperative to the achievement of the IRS Mission that these cases are investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I want the law abiding taxpayers to know that we are working diligently to ensure these individuals are held accountable for their misdeeds with regards to violating the tax laws.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wansley is prosecuting the case for the government.
