A federal grand jury in Fort Worth, Texas, has indicted four family members for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States by filing tax returns seeking millions of dollars in false refunds. The indictment, returned on June 11 and unsealed yesterday, names David Hunt of Arlington, Texas; his twin sons Brandon and Baylon Hunt, also from Arlington; and their half-brother Corey Burt from Mississippi.
According to the indictment, starting in 2016, the accused filed false tax returns under purported trusts to claim over $8.5 million in refunds they were not entitled to receive. Brandon Hunt is also accused of filing a false return in his own name. The defendants allegedly received more than $1 million from the IRS based on these fraudulent returns.
The indictment further claims that Brandon and Baylon Hunt submitted additional fake documents to the IRS as part of their scheme, including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. They reportedly shared the proceeds by transferring money among themselves and used the funds to purchase luxury goods, cryptocurrency, and real estate.
Each defendant faces charges of conspiracy and aiding and assisting in preparing false tax returns. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison for conspiracy and three years for each count related to aiding false tax return preparation. Additional penalties may include supervised release, restitution, and monetary fines. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge following U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The announcement was made by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson of the Northern District of Texas.
The investigation is being conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation with prosecution led by Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Tax Division alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht for the Northern District of Texas.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
