Man Used Dead People IDs to Make Millions on Tax Refunds

A man pleads guilty to obtaining millions of dollars by using IDs of dead people.

Many of us consider ourselves lucky to get a few hundred dollars back from tax returns. However, one man reportedly obtained more than $19 million from tax returns.

Problem is, he did it illegally. 35-year-old, Andrew J. Watts was accused of filing nearly 650 fraudulent tax returns by using the names and social security numbers of deceased people.

According to prosecutors, Watts used more than $1.5 million to live “a life of leisure”; buying a Mercedes SUV, a sports car, jewelry and renting residences in Beverly Hills, Manhattan and Los Angeles.

The IRS seized another $17 million in Watts’ bank accounts. According to court documents, the scheme went on from 2007 to 2011.

Watt pleaded guilty to the charges in court. He was sentenced to more than 9 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Earlier this year, another man was arrested and charged with tax fraud and identity theft following several bogus returns. The 46-year-old male from Livingston, New Jersey reportedly filed 657 fraudulent tax returns using information from a dead tax preparer from 2009 through 2010.