WILLIAMSON CO., Ill./U.S. DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT ILLINOIS—Tajuana L. Sullivan, 27, of Marion, Illinois, entered pleas of guilty in federal district court to fraud in a scheme to defraud and embezzle from U.S. Bank on November 26, 2014, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Sullivan faces a total prison sentence of up to 37 years, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and mandatory restitution. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 26, 2015.
Facts revealed in Court showed that on February 19, 2013, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a car driven by Sullivan. A search of the car revealed over 50 debit cards and a notebook with names and identifying information. Using this evidence, the IRS located internet protocol (IP) addresses, employers, occupations, and electronic filing identification numbers (EFIN), which revealed a tax refund scheme, part of which involved stolen identities. The data provided by the IRS consisted of 2011 and 2012 tax returns, which were filed during the years 2012 and 2013, respectively. This tax refund scheme consisted of approximately 86 federal income tax returns, which claimed approximately $283,700 in fraudulent tax refunds.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations, the Postal Inspection Service, the Secret Service, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.