Arizona woman admitted filing fraudulent tax claims seeking millions in government refunds.
An Arizona woman has admitted to taking part in a tax fraud scheme that involved trying to get more than $7.7 million from the federal government through false tax refund claims. Federal prosecutors said the case involved fake business tax filings tied to pandemic relief programs that were created to help companies stay afloat during the COVID-19 emergency. According to court records, Regina Durkin of New River, Arizona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims. Authorities said she worked with other people to send false quarterly employment tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service in an effort to collect millions of dollars in refunds that were not earned.
The false claims centered on two tax credits approved by Congress during the height of the COVID pandemic. One was the Employee Retention Credit, which was designed to help businesses keep workers on payroll during difficult financial times. The other involved paid sick and family leave credits that helped employers cover wages paid to workers who needed time away because of COVID-19. Prosecutors said the businesses listed in the tax filings did not qualify for either program, because they were not operating during the time covered by the claims, had no employees, and paid no wages. Even so, forms were submitted asking for large refunds based on workers who did not exist and payroll expenses that never...
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