Navy petty officer, 2 others arrested after tax fraud investigation
A tax fraud investigation has led to the arrest of three people – including a Navy petty officer – for multiple counts of identify theft.
Petty Officer 2nd class Kevon Kerr and two others remain in the Fulton County Jail, each charged with 32 counts of identity theft, jail records confirm.
More arrests could follow as part of a multi-agency investigation that includes the Georgia Department of Revenue, Postal Inspections Service, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service and the East Point Police.
East Point Police Sgt. Shawn Buchanan could give few details because this remains an open case.
“It’s tax season … because of this time of the year, people are always trying to do something … we don’t know what part each person played,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan would not confirm how many people fell victim to the tax fraud scheme or whether any of them were new naval recruits.
According to WSB-TV, Kerr stole personal information from recruits at Fort Gillem and used that information to file fake tax returns – which were then mailed to a vacant home in East Point.
Kerr, Tyrone Boyd and Lawanda Mitchell were arrested on March 30. They are each being held on a $96,000 bond, jail officials confirmed. No court date has been set.
