Connecticut Woman Pleads Guilty in $799,052 Pandemic Tax Refund Scheme, Faces Up to Five Years
The U.S. Department of Justice on November 6 updated a case announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut: Tonya Barham, 63, of Hamden, Connecticut, on November 3 waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to an offense stemming from a pandemic relief program fraud scheme. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Barham owned Blacfoot LLC, a small business that sold health products, lotions, oils, and candles, but the company earned little to no income and had no employees. In late 2021, individuals she knew contacted her and instructed her to open an online account with a business that provided online tax preparation services; she then gave them the account information and password. Between March 2022 and January 2023, the individuals accessed the account and prepared and filed fraudulent Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Returns (Forms 941) for Blacfoot LLC with the IRS, misrepresenting the number of employees and total wages paid, and used them to apply for large employee retention credit (ERC) and sick and family leave credit (SFLC) refunds. When the IRS contacted Barham to verify information about Blacfoot LLC, she provided false information, including that her business had five employees.
Between July and November 2022, Blacfoot LLC received from the IRS nine refund checks totaling $799,052. Barham kicked a portion of the refund money back to the individuals who orchestrated the scheme.
Barham pleaded guilty to making false claims regarding IRS refunds, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. She is released on a $40,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for January 26, 2027. The investigation was conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud against the American people; this case was carried in the division's news update.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的罗伯特·F·肯尼迪司法部大楼。APK 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. Photo by APK, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
