Tax preparer sentenced for stealing stimulus checks
A College Park woman was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison Wednesday for depositing more than 100 stimulus check and income tax refunds payable to others.
Cynthia Anne Elliott, 44, obtained the checks by theft and by filing false claims with the Internal Revenue Service, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman said.
Elliott was also ordered to pay nearly $950,000 in restitution. She pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing false claims with the IRS in May.
In a related case, Linda Lindo, 55, was sentenced to two years in a scheme to deposit 86 income tax refund checks that she had received from Elliott. The Fayetteville woman deposited the checks knowing Elliott had acquired them through filing false claims with the IRS, the attorney's office said.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
