Three men accused of filing 123 phony tax returns with information from homeless people and inmates pleaded guilty to the crimes Monday in federal court.
Rahman Hill, 40, of Mableton, Keith Lamone Richard, 40, of Decatur, and Peter Raymond Williams, 42, of New Jersey, were accused of collecting more than $1.66 million in tax refunds between December 2005 and March 2007, according to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. One other co-conspirator pleaded guilty earlier this month and a fifth person remains in federal custody in New Jersey, Yates said.
“These defendants exploited homeless people and jail inmates to steal money from the government,” Yates said in a statement. “In already tight budget times, we will fight even more aggressively to protect the tax money that our hard-working citizens have legitimately paid.”
The charge of conspiring to file false claims for payment against the United States carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of $250,000.
Hill, Richard and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced July 23 at 9:30 a.m.
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