Monika Skinger Sentenced to 27 Months for $4.6 Million Tax Refund Fraud Conspiracy

An Illinois woman was sentenced this week to 27 months in prison for conspiring to fraudulently obtain tax refunds through false tax returns and fictitious financial instruments submitted to the IRS. Monika Skinger sought $4.6 million in refunds, received more than $1.2 million in fraudulent proceeds and was ordered to pay $303,672.44 in restitution to the United States.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Skinger conspired with others to file false individual and trust tax returns claiming millions of dollars in refunds to which they were not entitled. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Skinger personally submitted at least 16 fictitious financial instruments on behalf of herself and others to induce the IRS to accept the false refund claims. The instruments included checks, money orders and payment vouchers. She also filed at least four false individual income tax returns for herself and at least two false trust tax returns.

U.S. District Court Judge Amanda Brailsford for the District of Idaho imposed the prison term and also ordered Skinger to serve three years of supervised release. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said Skinger attempted to obtain millions of dollars in refunds she had no right to receive.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney David F. Scollan of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittney Campbell for the District of Idaho are prosecuting it. McDonald and U.S. Attorney Bart Davis for the District of Idaho announced the sentence.

The Justice Department announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7. The department said the division focuses on investigating and prosecuting fraud against the American people and that its work supports the federal Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a government-wide effort addressing fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.