A federal judge in Las Vegas sentenced a woman to 18 months in prison for her role in stealing more than $2 million in tax refunds from the IRS.
U.S. District Court Judge James C. Mahan recently sentenced Elizabeth Trinh to 18 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to defraud the government.
Prosecutor said that she, Chanh V. Trinh and Cannedy Trinh conspired to file corporate and individual tax returns reporting more than $6 million in false income tax withholdings and payments. The trio filed returns in the names of phony businesses, their own names, and the names of others, including a long-deceased family member.
They then deposited or cashed the refund checks in Las Vegas, routinely purchasing cashier’s checks, which were used to obtain casino chips, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
In April, Mahan sentenced Chanh V. Trinh to 102 months in prison and Cannedy Trinh to 24 months in prison.