SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Ilie Zdragat, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Zdragat was the founder and director of Immigration Visa Services Organization (IVSO) that helped clients with asylum and citizenship applications, deportation proceedings and other matters related to immigration. Between April 4, 2012, and Sept. 28, 2012, Zdragat executed a fraud scheme by submitting fraudulent income tax returns through Turbo Tax to the IRS.
According to the plea agreement, on Sept. 28, 2012, Zdragat and another individual electronically filed a false 2011 income tax return for an individual and two dependents using the names and personal information of three former IVSO clients. The victims did not give Zdragat permission to file a tax return on their behalf. The tax return sought a refund of $6,200. Zdragat used a physical address in San Francisco unconnected to him to disguise his involvement in the scheme. The IRS did not process the fraudulent tax return.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
