Attorney General Michelle Henry has announced charges against a Philadelphia man accused of attempting to defraud the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue of over $1 million. The man, Kaahir Teagle, allegedly used stolen bank account information to make online deposits into his income tax account.
These deposits resulted in six income tax refund checks being generated, totaling just over $1 million. Teagle successfully cashed four of these checks for a total amount of $13,030.65.
Teagle, 22, faces multiple felony charges including theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, identity theft, and access device fraud. He was arraigned on these charges with bail set at $100,000.
An investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Financial Crime Section revealed that Teagle made several electronic fund transfers to his online tax account using stolen bank account information.
"This defendant is not only accused of stealing bank account information from unsuspecting individuals but also trying to defraud the state income tax system, which puts all tax-paying Pennsylvanians at risk," said Attorney General Henry. "Fortunately, only a small percentage of these fraudulent transactions were paid out and financial losses were minimized."
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue flagged Teagle’s 2021 tax return as fraudulent during the investigation. Further review showed that between May and July 2022, Teagle submitted 33 fraudulent electronic fund transfer payments as credits in his online tax account.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Helen Park will prosecute the case. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.