Seven men from Zimbabwe have been indicted on charges of using the identities of hundreds of Americans to file false tax returns that netted them up to $10 million, officials announced Friday.
A federal grand jury indicted the men on Thursday, charging them in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati with conspiracy, fraud, identity theft and money laundering. They each would face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of all the charges.
The indictment alleges that the men ran a tax preparation business in Cincinnati and that between 2006 and 2010 they used the identities of at least 658 people nationwide to file false tax returns and collect between $2.4 million and $10 million.
The men sent money and dozens of luxury cars and semi-trucks back to Zimbabwe but also kept much of the profits to themselves, the indictment says. Among items seized by authorities were multiple Mercedes-Benz cars, a Cadillac, an Audi, a BMW, watches by Burberry and Gucci and numerous laptops, iPads and TVs.
Detailed news link: click here