A 38-year-old tax preparer from Conley who filed for a tax refund on behalf of her dead mother as well as for other unsuspecting people was sentenced Monday to a federal penitentiary for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a tax fraud scheme.
Deidra McClendon, 38, was sentenced to one year, six months in prison and three years supervised release after she pleaded guilty to charges of filing fraudulent tax returns, identity theft and unauthorized use of another person’s Social Security number.
United States District Judge Marvin H. Shoob also ordered McClendon to pay $784,000 in restitution.
McClendon’s crime “is especially egregious because the defendant is a former tax preparer, and she used her specialized knowledge to steal tax money paid by honest citizens,” U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said in a news release.
From March 2007 to about February 2008, McClendon submitted false 1099 employer earnings statements with tax returns for various individuals, authorities said. Her deceased mother was among them. Others were living people unaware that their personal information was being used to file and obtain tax refunds.
The scheme generated several hundred thousands of dollars of fraudulent refunds, authorities said.
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