Ala. man sentenced 17 years and ordered to pay $1 million for his role in the scam.
An Alabama man was sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.
John Irving Wheeler, 31, of Montgomery, Ala., admitted to his role in a stolen identity scheme that resulted in Wheeler and others receiving fraudulent state income tax refunds.
According to court records, from February 2008 through at least November 2009, Wheeler and others stole identifications of other individuals, including their names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Wheeler and his co-conspirators then used that information to file fraudulent state income tax returns.
Bank records and information obtained from the Georgia Department of Revenue and the Michigan Department of Treasury showed that Wheeler and his coconspirators received more than $1 million in fraudulent tax refunds.
