An Alabama man, along with several partners, have been indicted [PDF] on aggravated identity theft, as well as other tax-related charges, for their alleged actions in using stolen personal identification to prepare and file false income tax returns, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
The indictment was unsealed on Monday charging Tavarious Jackson, aka "Hog," of Montgomery County, Ala., with tax-related crimes, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The indictment alleged that between February 2011 through April 2013, the conspirators filed more than 500 phony federal tax forms that illicitly claimed more than $1 million in tax refunds. Electronic federal tax refund checks – made out to victims' names – arrived in Jackson's bank account and physical checks were mailed to his home.
If convicted, Jackson and his co-conspirators, some of whom remain at large, face years in prison for each count, as well as financial penalties and restitution.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.