A North Royalton man was sentenced to jail for fraudulently claiming more than $133,000 in tax refunds to which he was not entitled, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation.
Amin Mohammad, 45, was sentenced to five months incarceration and five months of house arrested. He was also fined $50,000 and ordered to pay $133,414 in restitution.
Mohammad previously pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of public funds.
Mohammad operated a gas station and other energy-related businesses in the Cleveland area. He incorporated Goojee, Inc. in 2007 and Mejri Oil, Inc. in 2010. Neither company had a specific business purpose and bank accounts for the companies had minimal activity, according to court documents.
Mohammad falsely reported the companies sold a combined 833,495 gallons of kerosene in tax year 2010. He falsely claimed fuel tax credits to which he was not entitled, seeking a $68,240 tax refund on behalf of Goojee and a $65,174 tax refund on behalf of Mejri, according to court documents.
"Today’s sentencing marks the successful end of an investigation that uncovered a fraudulent fuel tax credit scheme," Korner said. "We want everyone to take advantage of the deductions and credits to which they are entitled by law; however, no one is entitled to defraud the government."
Assistant U.S Attorney Robert J. Patton is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the IRS-CI.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
