Augusta woman pleads guilty in tax fraud scheme worth as much as $1.5 million

An Augusta woman who took part in a tax fraud conspiracy that sought as much as $1.5 million pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court.

Shervonia Carter, 26, pleaded to conspiracy and aggravated identity fraud, admitting she took part in the scheme to steal victims’ personal identity information and use it to file fraudulent tax returns. According to court records, Carter was involved in the scheme from January 2011 through Jan. 29, 2016.

IRS Agent Jeffrey Hale testified that when confronted, Carter admitted to the crime and turned over sets of personal identity records. While the total conspiracy involved dozens of fraudulent returns, Carter was able to identified 23 returns she completed herself. A conservative estimate of Carter’s theft is about $224,400, he said.

U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. asked where was the money, considering Carter is on public assistance and has a court-appointed attorney.

Read more: http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-02-03/augusta-woman-pleads-guilty-tax-fraud-scheme-worth-much-15-million#