Clementon woman convicted in income tax-fraud case
CAMDEN – A federal jury has convicted a South Jersey woman of taking part in a fraud that used phony income tax returns to obtain refund checks.
Awilda Henriquez, 35, of Clementon was found guilty of all charges after a 10-day trial in Camden federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.
She was accused of conspiring to defraud the federal government and steal mail, as well as 13 counts each of theft of government money and aggravated identity theft.
Authorities alleged Henriquez was part of a ring that stole the identity of residents of Puerto Rico, then filed bogus tax returns to get refunds worth almost $566,000.
An investigation found more than 3,300 phony returns were filed for the 2013 tax year "and the refunds were directed to be mailed to a small section of Pennsauken."
Ring members bribed postal workers to intercept the refund checks, which were cashed by 'couriers" using fraudulent IDs.
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The checks were cashed "in a variety of ways, including at check-cashing businesses in New Jersey, where Henriquez paid the tellers to also participate in the scheme," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Puerto Rico residents do not have to file federal tax returns for income earned on the island. That makes their IDs valuable for tax-refund scams using mainland addresses because their Social Security numbers are not already connected with an existing Form 1040, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Three other ring participants — Alberto Sanchez of Camden, Jorge Gutierrez of Merchantville, and Roque Bisono of Maple Shade — have pleaded guilty to charges brought in a March 2018 indictment.
Sanchez is serving a 45-month prison term. Gutierrez and Bisono await sentencing.
Henriquez’s sentencing is scheduled for April 12, 2022.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Clementon NJ: Woman convicted in income tax-fraud case
