FRESNO, Calif. - United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Rebekah Root, 34, of Visalia, today to three years and nine months in prison for wire fraud, making a false claim for a tax refund, and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, in 2011, Root obtained tax documents that were stolen from an Internal Revenue Service office in Visalia. She used those tax documents to submit false tax returns on behalf of six taxpayers, without their knowledge or permission, and claimed approximately $50,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick R. Delahunty and Grant B. Rabenn prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
