SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Dionna J. Bradshaw, 37, formerly of Vallejo, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to submit false claims for tax refunds to the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, from March 2011 through March 2013, Bradshaw and co‑defendant Porsha Dickens, of Vallejo, participated in a conspiracy to submit false tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service by obtaining personal identifying information of others, and then submitting returns seeking refunds to which the people listed on the returns were not entitled. To pursue the refunds, false statements were placed on the tax returns regarding employers, income, withholding from income, and eligibility for certain tax credits, among other things. The employers listed on most of the fraudulent returns were companies purportedly belonging to codefendant Dickens. The fraudulently obtained tax refunds were frequently directly deposited into the bank accounts of Bradshaw and Dickens. The total amount of refunds claimed in connection with the conspiracy was approximately $301,612.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hales is prosecuting the case.
Bradshaw is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge John A. Mendez on May 1, 2018. Bradshaw faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $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.
Co-defendant Dickens is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 24, 2018, on charges of conspiracy to submit false claims and making false claims. The charges against Dickens are only allegations; Dickens is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
