BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A federal judge today sentenced Birmingham woman on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and intimidating a witness, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and IRS-Criminal Investigations Atlanta Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Quincetta Yvonne Cargill, 48, to 15 years in prison for her conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and intimidating a witness. Cargill was also ordered to pay $1,096,668.68 in restitution. Cargill was convicted of these charges in February. Cargill represented herself, and also took the stand to testify.
“There is zero tolerance for those who commit identity theft and fraud for their own greed," Escalona said. “Cargill’s actions were met today with just punishment."
“Today’s sentencing of Cargill highlights how seriously IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office take the issue of identity theft," said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office. “We will continue to pursue criminals who prey on innocent victims and we will continue to enforce our nation’s tax laws. Today’s sentencings should send a clear message to would-be criminals, you will be caught and you will be punished."
Evidence at trial, including witness testimony, bank records, and IRS tax returns, proved that Cargill obtained the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of individuals, told them she was submitting their information for a federal grant program, and instead caused fraudulent tax returns to be filed with their information. Cargill then directed others to open bank accounts, and used her own bank accounts, to receive tax refund checks from those fraudulently filed returns. In total, Cargill and her co-conspirators obtained more that $1 million from refunds from fraudulent tax returns. Evidence at trial also proved that Cargill attempted to intimidate a witness in her case by sending information about the witness and their potential testimony to members of a motorcycle club, in order to influence or prevent that witness from testifying at trial.
IRS-CID investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Garnett and Blake Milner prosecuted the case.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
