A Florida woman who assisted in carrying out a widespread tax fraud plan and made an effort to stop the IRS from retrieving a fraudulent refund she obtained after submitting a bogus tax return was given a one-year and one-day jail term today.
Rebecca Cyphers, 65, of Winter Springs, Florida, took part in a widespread tax fraud operation from at least September 2014 to May 2016, according to court records and testimony given in court. Promoters of the scam convinced potential customers that they were eligible for tax refunds because of their mortgages and other obligations.
For the purpose of filing tax returns with the IRS on behalf of their customers, additional participants in the scam made fraudulent claims that banks and other financial institutions had withheld significant sums of income tax from the clients’ paychecks, entitling them to refunds. In truth, neither the customers’ income nor any taxes were paid to or withheld by the financial institutions.
Cyphers acknowledged her involvement in the plan, which included extending invitations to at least one recruitment session to prospective customers. She also urged the potential customers to take part in the scam, despite the fact that Cyphers were aware it was illegality.
By submitting an altered 2013 income tax return with the false assertion that her mortgage holder had withheld more than $560,000 in taxes, Cyphers personally benefited from the plan. As a consequence, Cyphers received a return from…
