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Last updated on Tuesday, March 31, 2009
(INDIANAPOLIS) - An Indianapolis woman has been charged with illegally accessing IRS computers and filing false claims against the government following an investigation by the IRS and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
41-year-old Andrea Bennett was employed by the IRS and had access to various taxpayer information and is accused of using that information to file false tax returns, which directed refunds to her.
Five of the refunds, totaling $13,813.00, were actually disbursed by the IRS.
Timothy Morrison, US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said at one point, a bank in Simpson, Kansas, questioned the deposit of one refund when they noticed the social security number didn't match Bennett's. "She finally said no this is and I'm an IRS employee and my supervisor said this was okay."
Morrison said, "They said well, send us a letter and she forged the letter from the Internal Revenue Service to the bank and the bank contacted authorities because they still didn't think it was right."
Morrison said Bennett faces a maximum possible prison sentence of ten years and a maximum possible fine of $500,000. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a US magistrate judge in Indianapolis.
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