Vallejo woman sentenced for ID theft of disabled victims to obtain tax refunds
SACRAMENTO -- A judge sentenced Vallejo resident Tamara Manuel Thursday to more than three years in prison for stealing the identities of severely disabled persons in order to get federal tax refunds.
U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of California Phillip Talbert said in a press statement that Manuel carried out the scheme while working at Sonoma Development Center (SDC), a large, state-run facility serving people with developmental disabilities.
Manuel's position allowed her to access SDC patients' personal information, including Social Security Numbers and birthdates. Beginning in 2011 until 2015, Manuel began stealing SDC patients' identities and file fraudulent tax returns in their names with purported income from wages, withholding and dependents to obtain exemptions, tax credits. and refunds, according to court records.
Talbert cited an example of Manuel filing a return for an SDC patient claiming $23,000 in income as a forklift driver, with a dependent, and was owed a child tax credit. The patient actually had no income or dependents and was severely disabled, requiring observation and care 24/7.
At least 18 SDC patients had their identities stolen to file 33 fake tax returns and claim a total of more than $77,000 in refunds, ultimately receiving nearly $50,000 in from the Internal Revenue Service. Manuel also used a handful of other stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns in her and her son's names, falsely listing them as family members and dependents, Talbert said.
Manuel received a 39-month sentence for identity theft and wire fraud.
