Riverside, California – LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Adam Hansen appeared in United States District Court in Riverside, California yesterday to answer charges that he was a part of a conspiracy to file false claims with the Internal Revenue Service and that he willfully made false statements to IRS – Criminal Investigation Special Agents.
According to the case summary filed in United States District Court with respect to Adam Hansen, this case is related to the case brought against Mauricio Lopez and Paul Hansen, who were both previously indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this year. Both Mauricio Lopez and Paul Hansen were indicted for conspiring to defraud the United States with respect to claims, the filing of false claims against the United States, possession of access devices, obstruction of justice and false statements charges stemming from a scheme to file false federal income tax returns claiming tax refunds form the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the indictment of Adam Hansen, beginning in February 2002 and continuing until August 2002, Adam Hansen entered into an agreement with other individuals, to knowingly and intentionally defraud the United States by filing false claims for income tax refunds with the Internal Revenue Service. To do this, one or more members of the conspiracy would obtain a Social Security Number from an individual without informing that person that their SSN would be used to prepare a tax return.
After obtaining the person’s personal information, a fraudulent federal income tax return, in the name of the person from whom their personal information was obtained, would be prepared. To support the fraudulent return, a false Form W2G, detailing non-existent gambling winnings and withholdings, would be created for submission with the income tax return indicating several thousands of dollars of gambling withholdings. These returns were filed with the IRS, claiming fraudulent refunds to which neither Hansen nor the other members of the conspiracy were entitled to receive.
In addition to participating in the conspiracy to defraud the IRS by filing false claims, Adam Hansen was charged with making false statements to investigators on two occasions. In August, 2002, Adam Hansen willfully made false statements to an IRS criminal investigator when he made false statements as to how he had acquired a Ford Expedition and as to how had met a certain individual at one of the co-conspirator’s residences.
Adam Hansen appeared this afternoon for his post-indictment arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Oswald Parada in District Court in Riverside, California. If convicted on all counts in the indictment, Hansen faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison. The trial for Adam Hansen is scheduled to begin on September 18, 2007.
An indictment is a charging document alleging violations of statutes. All defendants are presumed innocent of charges unless and until proven guilty before the court.
In the related case brought against Paul Hansen, as detailed in his plea agreement filed in June 2007, Paul Hansen admitted that he filed false claims with the IRS, and was a part of a conspiracy to file false claims with the IRS, totaling approximately $629,000 in his original scheme in 2002. Additionally, Paul Hansen admitted in his plea agreement to engaging in a second scheme in 2005 in which he filed approximately thirty-three false claims with the IRS, claiming nearly $300,000 in refunds. Further, Paul Hansen admitted that, as a part of the scheme, he possessed false identification documents and counterfeit access devices in violation of federal law.
When sentenced later this year, Paul Hansen faces a statutory maximum 42 years in federal prison and a fine of $1,250,000. Paul Hansen’s sentencing is scheduled for September 24, 2007.
According to court documents detailing the entry of his guilty plea in the related case, Mauricio Lopez pleaded guilty in July 2007 to engaging in a conspiracy with Paul Hansen and others to file false claims with the IRS, and to two counts of impeding the IRS in its investigation of the false claims scheme.
Mauricio Lopez is also scheduled for sentencing on September 24, 2007. When sentenced, he faces a statutory maximum 16 years in federal prison.
The cases against Adam Hansen, Mauricio Lopez, and Paul Hansen were brought by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
