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STAMFORD, Conn. A New York man was sentenced to more than two years in prison Tuesday for his role in running a tax fraud and identity theft scheme in Stamford, a statement from U.S. Attorney David B. Fein said.
Hector Medina, 32, and others received at least 35 income tax refund checks, many of which were obtained by filing fraudulent income forms with false W-2 forms on behalf of residents of Puerto Rico, without their knowledge or consent, Fein said. The checks were then cashed in Stamford by Matilde Fabian-Pichardo, a former bank teller, he said.
About $185,000 from the Internal Revenue Service was lost as a result of the scheme, Fein said. The people involved in the scheme also obtained fraudulent state tax refund checks from New York and North Carolina totaling $19,000, he said.
The scheme took place from October to December 2010, Fein said.
Medina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, Fein said. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a restitution payment of $209,000, he said.
Fabian-Pichardo also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing, the release said.
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