Arizona man receives 30-month sentence for false tax return claims

PHOENIX — An Arizona man was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $11,000 in restitution, the IRS announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Kevin Jeffory Rocheteau was sentenced on Monday and had previously pleaded guilty to filing false federal tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.

“Individuals who file false tax returns undermine our system and steal from the American people,” U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey said in the release.

“Our office is committed to ensuring justice for anyone who tries to defraud the government.”

Starting in 2016, Rocheteau used video calls from a Maricopa County jail facility to recruit Kathie Bonenberger to file the false claims under his command.

The duo was successful on two occasions and Bonenberger managed to deposit the refund checks into bank accounts that she owned and controlled.

Rocheteau directed Bonenberger to file 35 false tax returns that used several techniques to falsely inflate the tax refunds that claimed $165,000.

Those techniques included claiming wages from out-of-business or bogus employers, claiming wages for someone who never worked at a particular employer and attempting to hide the scheme by sending the returns to multiple IRS service centers.

“IRS Criminal Investigation has made it a top priority to investigate and recommend prosecution on individuals who think they can steal from the government by filing false tax returns,” acting special agent in charge Tara Sullivan said in the release.

“The result of this crime is almost always a prison sentence, not an ill-gotten tax refund.”

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