A Redmond, Washington man who falsely claimed he was owed a tax refund of $827,117 was arrested today following his indictment by the grand jury, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. FRED F. FRINK, 68, is charged with seven criminal counts including bank fraud, money laundering, presenting a fictitious obligation, and making false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims. FRINK will make his initial appearance on the indictment at 2:30 this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
According to the indictment, in 2009, FRINK hired a tax preparer to prepare his 2008 return. The tax preparer calculated the taxes and determined that FRINK was owed a refund of $7,413. However, FRINK failed to file that tax return and instead went to an H & R Block outlet and provided bogus forms indicating that more than $1 million had been withheld on his behalf. H & R Block calculated his return using these bogus documents, determining that he was owed $827,117. The IRS did not catch the fraud immediately, and FRINK used the money for various transactions that result in the money laundering charges. Concerned that a bank would recognize the fraud in the 2008 tax return he filed, FRINK used the return with the smaller refund claim to induce the bank to extend his line of credit.
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