SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Lejohn Windom Sr., 53, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud, conspiracy to submit false claims, and aggravated identity theft, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between 2010 and 2013, Windom and his co‑conspirators filed 682 income tax returns, requesting nearly $2 million in fraudulent refunds. Of those returns, more than $1.1 million in fraudulent refunds were paid. The defendant and others used stolen identities to request the tax refunds and then forged the names of the taxpayers to make the fraudulent refund checks payable to themselves.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Morris is prosecuting the case.
Co-defendants Tracy Hartway and Audrey Johnson are scheduled for a status hearing on Sept. 1, 2016. Co-defendant Lejohn Windom Jr. is scheduled for a status hearing on Dec. 1, 2016. The charges as to the co-defendants are only allegations; those defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Windom Sr. is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Nov. 10, 2016. Windom faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud, 10 years in prison for conspiracy to submit false claims, and a mandatory sentence of two consecutive years in prison for aggravated identity theft. He also faces a maximum $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
