Nantucket man faces 41 months in prison for stealing income tax refunds
A Belarusian citizen living in Nantucket was sentenced to 41 months in prison today for his role in a “phishing’’ scheme to steal federal income tax refunds through a network of phony web sites, US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said.
Mikalai Mardakhayeu and his co-conspirators allegedly snared their victims through a network of web sites that falsely claimed to offer free online tax return preparation and filing for low-income taxpayers in 2006 and 2007.
After taxpayers entered their information, Mardakhayeu’s co-conspirators in Belarus used the information to seek inflated refunds and redirect the money to US bank accounts he controlled, according to the government.
Ultimately, the government said, the scheme deposited $200,000 in stolen refunds into Mardakhayeu’s bank accounts.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. ordered Mardakhayeu to pay $209,000 in restitution. Mardakhayeu, 31, had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and nine counts of wire fraud earlier this year.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com