BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK - Kareem Young, age 40, of Binghamton, was convicted today of filing a fraudulent claim with the Internal Revenue Service, following a 4-day trial.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division.
Young is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24, 2019 by Senior United States Judge Thomas J. McAvoy, and faces up to 5 years in prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The trial evidence showed that Young filed a 2013 U.S. Individual Tax Return claiming income of $6,125,000 and federal tax withholdings of $6,125,000. Young’s return also sought a refund of $6,125,000. Young’s actual income for 2013 was $3,127.36.
To further his claims, Young fabricated withholdings on a Form 1099 OID claiming false withholding credits from the Broome County District Attorney. Young’s return was reviewed and the IRS sent Young correspondence telling him to file a corrected return immediately. Young failed to do so and persisted in his efforts to get a refund of $6,125,000. The IRS never issued a refund.
The trial evidence showed that Young learned of this scheme while in state prison, and that the scheme involved falsely claiming credits from the District Attorney’s Office that prosecuted the prisoner.
This case was investigated by IRS-CI, with the assistance of the Inspector General’s Office of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tamara Thomson.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
