Illinois Woman Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Commit Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

Lamesha Conley of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 24 months in prison today for conspiracy and identity theft charges related to a scheme to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using stolen identity information, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois.

According to documents and information provided to the court, beginning in 2014, Conley provided more than 6,000 stolen identities to Dominque King and Roxann Gist for the purpose of filing fraudulent income tax returns. Between 2014 and July 2015, King and Gist used those stolen identities to file fraudulent income tax returns with the IRS seeking more than $2.6 million in refunds. King and Gist directed that some of the refunds be mailed to Conley and other co-conspirators.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Robert William Gettlemen ordered Conley to serve 1 year of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,196,460 in restitution to the United States.

King, Gist, and other co-defendants previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. King was sentenced to 30 months in prison and Gist was sentenced to 36 months in prison. They were ordered to pay $1,332,935 in restitution to the IRS.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Lausch commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Lee F. Langston, and former Trial Attorney Timothy M. Russo, of the Tax Division, who prosecuted this case. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois for their substantial assistance in the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.