MILWAUKEE (AP) — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than four years and prison for a tax refund scheme that stretched from Puerto Rico to Wisconsin.
Federal authorities say 33-year-old Deily Veras, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to theft of government money. Authorities say he fraudulently obtained more than $2.7 million from the Internal Revenue Service.
Authorities say Veras obtained the identities and Social Security numbers primarily of Puerto Rican residents. He used that information to file false tax returns and receive refund checks. Veras would then take the tax refund checks to an individual in Milwaukee to cash them.
Residents of Puerto Rico are not required to file federal income tax returns or pay federal income tax unless they earn income from sources outside of Puerto Rico.
