Women plead guilty in Pittsburgh to tax fraud ring involving inmates info

Published: Thursday, May 15, 2014, 1:57p.m. Updated 14 hours ago

Three women admitted Thursday in court they filed false federal tax returns and set up bank accounts in Georgia and Pennsylvania to handle the refunds.

Heather A. Smith, 26, and Astrid P. Perry, 37, both of Summerville, Ga., and Beverly J. McHenry, 57, of Rome, Ga., pleaded guilty in federal court Downtown to wire fraud conspiracy. The defendants admitted using Social Security numbers and other personal information from Georgia inmates and others to scam the government.

U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer scheduled Perry's and McHenry's sentencings for Sept. 26 and Smith's sentencing for Sept. 30.

Working with at least five other people, including Frank Smith, 69, of the Hill District, they used the Internal Revenue Service's direct deposit option to funnel stolen tax dollars into accounts for fake businesses that ranged from tax and accounting services to home repair and gutter-cleaning services, prosecutors said.

Frank Smith pleaded guilty in October to the conspiracy and is serving a three-year prison sentence. The ring filed at least 595 false returns for the 2010 and 2011 tax years and sought about $1.9 million in fraudulent refunds, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci said in court documents.

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Women plead guilty in Pittsburgh to tax fraud ring involving inmates info