Men accused of $1.6 million tax scam, stealing IDs of homeless

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Three Georgia men have been indicted in federal court based on allegations they stole the identities of homeless people to reap a windfall in tax returns.

The men conspired with two men from New Jersey to file 123 tax returns that netted over $1.66 million in refunds, U.S. District Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said Wednesday.

One of the New Jersey men, Peter Williams, 41, of Passaic, was arraigned Wednesday in Atlanta.

The indictments against all five were handed down in July. The three Georgia men are Kelcey P. Miller, 36, of Atlanta; Rahman Hill, 40, of Mableton; and Keith L. Richard, 39 of Decatur. The fifth man charged was Jabbar Pender, 40, of Newark, New Jersey.

Yates said the men stole the identities of  people in homeless shelters, jails, and other locations to file income tax returns with falsely inflated claims for refunds between December 2005 and March 2007.

They are charged with conspiring to file false claims for payment against the federal government, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Miller is also charged with aggravated identity theft because he was carrying a fake driver's license and with 11 counts of wire fraud in connection with the alleged scam.