In a striking case of fraud, federal agents arrested Christopher Dowtin, a 48-year-old man from Jonesboro, Georgia, for allegedly duping the IRS out of millions. Dowtin faced charges of wire fraud and theft of public money after he redirected tax refunds intended for two businesses into his own hands, including a jaw-dropping check for more than $32 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.
According to federal charging documents, Dowtin claimed to be the responsible party for two companies, fooling the IRS to send him tax refund checks—one amounting to $32,495,888.58 and another for $26,156.50, the IRS Criminal Investigation special agents discovered. Dowtin even traveled to Ohio, presumably to launder the hefty sums into a brokerage account. However, his elaborate plans began to unravel when a Morgan Stanley financial advisor flagged the activity as suspicious.
The advisor, upon seeing the checks and Dowtin's explanation that they were compensation for the misuse of his "personhood," still verified their legitimacy before alerting authorities. "The financial advisor verified that the checks were valid U.S. Treasury checks," states the U.S. Attorney's Office. Mortgage Stanley subsequently reported their concerns to the Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation, resulting in the arrest of Dowtin and the seizure of the checks.
Wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while theft of public funds could add another decade to a convict's time behind bars. With his court appearance slated for today in Atlanta, Dowtin will face the legal repercussions of his alleged multimillion-dollar swindle, potentially setting a costly example for would-be fraudsters.
