Metro-East Woman Sentenced for Fraudulent Tax Refund Scheme

Sylvia Baker, 30, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was sentenced to six months halfway house incarceration followed by six months home detention with electronic monitoring as a condition of three years supervised release for her convictions of conspiracy to defraud the United States by making false claims for tax refunds to the Internal Revenue Service by submitting false federal income tax returns, and five additional counts for making false claims for federal tax refunds, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Sylvia Baker was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $16,356 and a special assessment of $600.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.