George Martinez, a former employee of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department (NMTRD), has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
During 2011-18, Martinez misused his position as the Unit Supervisor/Bureau Chief of the Questionable Refund Unit at the NMTRD to fraudulently alter tax refunds and transfer them to bank accounts in his control. As part of his fraud scheme, Martinez would copy processed tax returns or create new returns in taxpayers’ accounts. In these returns, he would then modify taxpayer information such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and withholding amounts. By altering the withholding amounts, he was able to increase the tax refund amounts and transfer $689,797 into self-controlled accounts.
For his crimes, Martinez could receive a prison sentence of anywhere between two to 32 years.
Source: US Department of Justice