California man has pleaded guilty to tax fraud. Richard Jason Mountford, formerly of Monterey County, pleaded guilty to conspiring to file false claims against the United States, defrauding the IRS of nearly $900,000 in taxes.
The case is related to a tax fraud scheme, and the individual has admitted to the charges. This information is based on the official press release from the Department of Justice and other reputable sources.
What was the Amount of Tax Fraud in the California Man’s Case
Richard Jason Mountford, a California man, pleaded guilty to tax fraud after defrauding the IRS of nearly $900,000 in taxes. Based on the fraudulent tax returns, the IRS issued $873,723.53 in unwarranted refunds to the co-conspirators.
Mountford deposited $757,075.53 of these fraud proceeds into his own bank accounts and subsequently purchased nearly $360,000 worth of new cars. He also gave his co-conspirator about $170,000 in cash and gold bars.
Mountford and another person conspired from 2016 to 2020 to submit false individual income tax returns using their own names and the names of two other unwitting people. They falsely reported they were employed by and received wages from a company and that they had alimony payments.
Most of the returns filed as part of the scheme also falsely reported alimony payments. Mountford is set to be sentenced on April 11 and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Motive Behind the California Man’s Tax Fraud Scheme
The motive behind the California man’s tax fraud scheme was to defraud the IRS of nearly $900,000 in taxes. The individual, Richard Jason Mountford, pleaded guilty to conspiring to file false claims against the United States, involving the submission of false individual income tax returns and the receipt of unwarranted refunds.
This scheme, which took place over several years, involved the falsification of employment and alimony payment information, resulting in the fraudulent acquisition of significant sums of money.
Mountford’s actions were aimed at illicitly obtaining funds from the government through the submission of falsified tax returns, constituting a clear case of tax fraud.
This is How California Man Commit Tax Fraud
Richard Jason Mountford, a California man, committed tax fraud by conspiring with another person to submit false individual income tax returns. The scheme involved the following steps:
- Mountford and his co-conspirator filed income tax returns in their own names, as well as in the names of two other unwitting individuals.
- The returns falsely reported they were employed by a company, received wages from that company, and had federal taxes withheld from those wages.
- The fraudulent claims resulted in the IRS issuing $873,723 in unwarranted refunds.
- Mountford deposited $757,075 of the proceeds into his bank accounts, bought nearly $360,000 worth of new cars, and gave his co-conspirator about $170,000 in cash and gold bars.
The tax fraud scheme was conducted from 2016 to 2020, and Mountford pleaded guilty to the charges, admitting to defrauding the U.S. government and every American taxpayer.