North Escambia Residents Charged In $1 Million Prisoner Tax Refund Scam

January 24, 2012

Two Cantonment residents are among five people facing federal charges for their involvement in a prisoner income tax refund scheme that defrauded the government of nearly $1 million.

Mary Hobbs Blair, age 62 of Cantonment, Nikki Kight, age 44 of Cantonment, Thomas Rabeau, age 62 of Brandon, Carter Hassman, a 49-year old inmate in Santa Rosa County, and Michael “Elton” Blair, age 43 of Gulf Breeze, were indicted in connection with the scheme, Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, said Monday.

All five defendants are facing one count each of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claim. Mary Blair is also facing 17 counts of false claims against the government, 17 counts of theft from the government, and two count of aggravated identity theft.

The federal indictment alleges that beginning around January 2007, the five individuals and others filed fraudulent tax returns using the names and social security numbers of inmates housed in the Florida Department of Corrections, along with those of  other individuals who were not incarcerated.

As part of the scheme, Mary Blair,  Rabeau, Kight and Elton Blair’s home addresses were listed on the tax returns, so IRS refund checks would be mailed to them. According to federal investigators.

As part of the scheme, false and nonexistent businesses were listed as the purported employers, listing fraudulent wages and withholding amounts for time periods in which the inmates were incarcerated. It is alleged that during the course of the scheme the defendants and others filed and  filed 223  false and fraudulent federal income tax returns, which falsely claimed approximately $954,795 in fraudulent tax refunds. The refunds were then deposited into Mary Blair’s bank accounts.

The defendants are scheduled for trial on March 5. If  convicted, each faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the government. Mary Blair faces up to 10 years in prison on each of 17 counts of false claims against the government, and two years imprisonment on each of 17 counts of theft from the government.

Comments

6 Responses to “North Escambia Residents Charged In $1 Million Prisoner Tax Refund Scam”

  1. Betty on January 25th, 2012 5:42 am

    That is so pitiful…it only took 5 years for our brilliant people in the IRS to catch them…If they owed and didn’t pay I bet it wouldn’t take that long to catch them.

  2. David Huie Green on January 24th, 2012 5:30 pm

    It’s not illegal if you don’t break any laws.

    David for parties

  3. Thinker on January 24th, 2012 10:40 am

    Meanwhile, on Wall Street…

    It’s party time.

  4. O_O on January 24th, 2012 9:03 am

    Wow they couldn’t pick up on $1 million going to the same address. But don’t pay the $20 you owe and see what happens.

  5. abrykin on January 24th, 2012 8:58 am

    No where but America

  6. Karen on January 24th, 2012 8:35 am

    Why are only these five facing federal charges if it says others filed as well? Aren’t the others just as guilty? I mean they didn’t head it up but they had to know it was wrong to file false & fraudulent tax refunds!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News