Last week, U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Sandra Denise Curl of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Percy Leroy Jacobs of Prince Frederick, Maryland, to 30 months each in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. A federal jury found the defendants guilty on March 21, 2022, for conspiring to defraud the United States, aiding in submitting fraudulent tax returns, and stealing government funds. Judge Hazel also ordered the defendants to pay $959,044 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney announced the sentences for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, Curl and Jacobs, between 2013 and 2016, Curl and Jacobs filed fraudulent tax returns for several trusts they owned, claiming refunds that they were not entitled to. They also submitted fake individual tax returns under their names, requesting tax withholdings that were not genuine to generate refunds. The defendants attempted to defraud the IRS of more than $2.2 million in total.
U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division commended the IRS-Criminal Investigation for its diligent work on the case. U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg also expressed their appreciation to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morgan and Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and George Meggali of the Tax Division, who handled the case’s prosecution.
