Chicago woman goes to court for allegedly using 20 false identities to cheat the IRS

May 13, 2017

By GlobalPost WriterJill Krasny, Business Insider

The National Debt Clock, a billboard-size digital display showing the increasing US debt, near an office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Sixth Avenue July 26, 2011 in New York.
Stan Honda

It's a good thing the IRS and U.S. Dept. of Justice went on that rampage cracking down on identity thieves.

Zorana Theresa Charleson-Black is heading to federal court today for allegedly filing 293 fake income tax returns between 2005 and 2008, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

How it took three years to catch her, nobody knows, but the 35-year-old faces 20 counts of filing false claims against the United States, and one count each of theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft.

Also known by the nickname "T," Charleson-Black allegedly had a field day between 2007 and 2008, using 20 Chicago-area residents names, dates of birth and social security numbers to claim refunds that reached the thousands: $9,500, $12,389, $7,000 … you get the picture.

Using that info, Charleson-Black allegedly finagled $403,697 dollars from the tax man, though she claimed much more: $1,313,835.

She also allegedly misused identities in the same way to cop Social Security benefits of at least $26,246.

If Charleson-Black is found guilty, she could face serious jail time. Filing a false claim carries up to five years in prison, while stealing government funds carries a maximum prison term of ten years and aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory prison term of two years.