Two thieves who swindled the IRS out of nearly $3 million in tax refunds will be enjoying a different kind of government hospitality – federal prison cells. As detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Benjamin Thomas, 38, and Kuljinder Singh Hunjan, 38, have been sentenced after pleas of guilty for their parts in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.
In a move that would prove to be their undoing, the IRS check that was expected by a Houston couple but pilfered instead, set off an investigation leading straight to Hunjan and his partner in crime, Thomas. Under the watchful eye of U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane, Thomas received a 90-month prison sentence, while Hunjan got off comparatively light with a 42-month stretch in prison. Both men, who have left an almost $4.5 million restitution bill in their wake, will be supervised for another three years upon release.
An intricate heist that began with the interception of a large tax refund check was brought to light when Hunjan and one Whitley Rachelle Carter opened fraudulent bank accounts using the victims' stolen personal information. According to bank surveillance and the damning touch of Hunjan's fingerprints on the check, their fates were sealed. "Hunjan’s fingerprints were also found on the check," reported the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The thread of conspiracy tied Thomas to Hunjan, not by conflict, but by technological communication - phone calls and several cash app transactions pinning them together in this nefarious plot. As chance would have it, when Thomas was caught cruising in a stolen Lamborghini on April 13, 2022, he was carrying debit cards linked to the fraudulent accounts and an ATM receipt showing an $800 withdrawal from the account that laundered the nearly $3 million check.
While Thomas and Hunjan begin their new life behind bars, their associate Carter is teetering on the edge of her own reckoning with a sentencing set for May 21, facing a potential 30 years of federal confinement and a fine of up to $1 million. Despite their convictions, the duo spent their last days of freedom out on bond, surrendering to a prison facility yet to be named.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Houston Police Department joined forces in uncovering the scam. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman served as the prosecutor on a case that is yet another reminder of the ever-present vigilance against tax fraud.
