June 13, 2008 – Victor W. Lessoff, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Tampa Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation and Walter A. McNeil, Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections announce a new cooperative effort to combat the ongoing attempt by Florida prison inmates to illegally obtain Federal income tax refunds.
When referring to refund crimes committed by prisoners SAC Lessoff states;
“The prosecution of income tax refund crimes committed by prison inmates is important. Not only do these individuals seek to violate the tax laws, but inmates who file false returns are almost always assisted by someone in an official capacity or in the general public who has access to secure personal ID information and the services of the postal and banking systems. Participants in prison refund scams commit crimes against the nation’s tax system, but they also defraud the penal, postal and banking systems. IRS-CI is committed to the investigation and prosecution of individuals in every walk of life who seek to abuse the federal income tax system and corrupt the nation’s infrastructure.”
Secretary McNeil states further:
“The Florida Department of Corrections will continue to assist the Internal Revenue Service’s investigators with all the resources at our disposal to stop tax refund scammers in our prison system from defrauding the government and taxpayers like you and me.”
For Additional Information Please Contact:
Norm Meadows, Special Agent, Public Information Officer
Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office
Ph: 941-378-6417 or Email: norman.meadows@ci.irs.gov
Gretl Plessigner, Director of Communications
Florida Department of Corrections, Office of Public Affairs
Ph: 850-488-0420 or Email: plessinger.gretl@mail.dc.state.fl.us
