A former Georgia Department of Revenue employee and six conspirators have pleaded guilty to defrauding the state of $200,000, according to Georgia’s attorney general.
The seven people who pleaded guilty were part of a larger, 15-person income tax fraud ring that centered on Naterica Burkes, the former DOR employee, prosecutors said.
Burkes, according to the attorney general, created fraudulent accounts in DOR’s computer system and issued tax refund checks to herself, former colleagues, family members, friends and associates. Naterica Burkes, along with Lloyd Burkes, Nicole Calhoun, Justin Clark, Leonard Harvey and Chandra Long pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering. Nykea Williams pleaded guilty to theft by taking.
Between July 2008 and September 2011, Naterica Burkes issued 33 illegal tax refunds, the attorney general’s office said. She and her conspirators would deposit refund checks into personal bank accounts or cash them at local businesses and then divvy up the proceeds.
Naterica Burkes was sentenced to five years in prison. Lloyd Burkes, Clark, Harvey, Long and Williams were each sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay restitution. Nicole Calhoun will be sentenced on Jan. 29.
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