A Hamden woman admitted to taking part in an IRS scheme that led to almost $800,000 in fraudulent refunds.
On Nov. 3, Tonya Barham, 63, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to making false claims regarding IRS refunds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Federal officials said Barham owned Blacfoot LLC, a small business that sold health products, lotions, oils and candles. According to federal officials, Blacfoot LLC earned little to no income and had no employees.
Investigators with the the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division determined that, in late 2021, Barham was contacted by people she knew who told her to open an online account with a business that provided online tax preparation services. Barham then provided the individuals with the account information and password, court records show.
Between March 2022 and January 2023, the individuals accessed the account and prepared and filed fraudulent Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Returns for Blacfoot LLC. According to court records, the Forms 941 “misrepresented the number of employees and total wages paid, and were used to apply for large ERC and SFLC refunds.”
When contacted by the IRS to verify the information about Blacfoot LLC, Barham provided false information, including claims that the business had five employees, court records show.
Between July and November 2022, Blacfoot LLC...
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