Spring Valley man gets prison in nearly $3 million IRS refund check scam
A Spring Valley man and one of his two partners have been sentenced to federal prison for stealing a nearly $3 million IRS refund check, a prosecutor in Houston said.
Kuljinder Singh Hunjan, 38, of Spring Valley, was sentenced to 42 months, while Benjamin Thomas, 38, of Richmond, Texas, got 90 months, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release.
U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane also ordered Hunjan and Thomas to pay restitution of $4,483,987 and placed them on three years of supervised release after they served their sentences for bank fraud.
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Crane noted both men engaged with a third person facing sentencing in a complex and sophisticated fraud scheme, prosecutor Hamdani said.
Authorities arrested Hunjan in July 2022 at his parents’ home in Spring Valley on a warrant accusing him of bank fraud, possession of stolen mail, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutor outlines the fraud scheme
Hunjan, Thomas and a third person facing sentencing were accused of stealing a United States Treasury check from the mail, and forging and counterfeiting identification documents to open a bank account in the names of the intended recipients of the check. The indictment accused them of depositing the check in the fraudulent account, transferring funds to other fraudulently created bank accounts, and withdrawing funds by ATM transactions, debit card purchases, and other electronic transfers.
It said authorities learned in January 2022 a Houston couple didn't receive an IRS refund check totaling $2,932,446 in the mail, according to the U.S. Attorney.. An investigation showed Hunjan and Whitley Rachelle Carter used fake IDs with the couple's names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers to open accounts at Regions Bank in January 2022 on various dates.
The U.S Attorney said Hunjan and Carter deposited the couple's refund check into the fraudulent bank account on Jan. 18, 2022. Authorities identified Hunjan and Carter via bank surveillance and Hunjan's fingerprints were also on the check. Phone calls and Cash App transactions linked Carter to Hunjan and Thomas.
Authorities arrested Thomas as he was driving a stolen Lamborghini on April 13, 2022. At the time of Thomas' arrest, he had two debit cards for fraudulently created accounts used to receive money from the refund check, according to the news release. The accounts were open with other stolen identities to launder money of the nearly $3 million check. He also had an ATM receipt showing an $800 withdrawal from the account that received the check. Thomas' phone records showed he contacted Hunjan numerous times during this period.
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Third conspirator faces prison, fine
Carter, 33, Houston, faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced on May 21, as well as a potential $1 million maximum fine, the prosecutor said.
IRS Criminal Investigation, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Houston Police Department, FBI, and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: IRS tax refund check scam: Spring Valley NY man gets prison in fraud
