Overview
- The three defendants, sentenced Thursday, received 94, 92, and 38 months in prison and were ordered to pay $1,774,864 in restitution.
- Prosecutors said the group filed returns in the names of fake trusts and sent falsified financial instruments and altered money orders to the IRS after warning letters told them to stop.
- They sought more than $8.5 million in refunds and obtained over $1.7 million, which they spent on luxury goods, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade, and a house in Mississippi.
- All four were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States, while three were also found guilty of aiding and assisting false tax returns and Baylon Hunt was acquitted on two such counts.
- IRS Criminal Investigation led the probe, and Justice Department tax prosecutors and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Texas tried the case, reflecting a broader push to police abusive trust schemes.