Detroit woman sentenced to prison for $27 million tax fraud scheme
(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit woman is sentenced to four and a half years in prison for her involvement in a $27 million tax fraud scheme against the Internal Revenue Service and six states.
According to the Justice Department, Sameerah Marrell, 42, pleaded guilty on Jan. 11 to mail fraud, wire fraud and committing an offense while on bond.
Upon release, Marrell is ordered to serve three years on supervised release and pay a remaining restitution totaling $7,979,041.
Federal officials say between 2014 and April 2022, Marrell and other accomplices filed 122 false income tax returns for estates and trusts and several state income tax returns in Minnesota, Georgia, Maryland, Arizona, Connecticut and Colorado, seeking $13,690,341 from the IRS and $14,730,365 from the states.
"Marrell committed some of these offenses after she was arrested on a criminal complaint charging her with, among other things, making false claims to the IRS..." read a press release from the Justice Department.
Officials say about $5.5 million from the IRS and $2.9 million from the state agencies were issued to Marrell before fraud was detected.