Richard Jason Mountford, a former resident of Monterey County, California, and now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. Chief District Judge Troy L. Nunley for Mountford's role in conspiring to file false claims against the United States.
The announcement was made by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California.
“Tax fraud schemes like the defendant’s cost the government millions of dollars a year and can lead to substantial prison time,” stated U.S. Attorney Talbert. He emphasized that his office is committed to collaborating with IRS Criminal Investigation and other law enforcement agencies to address tax fraud.
Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher from IRS Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field Office commented on Mountford's actions: “Richard Mountford is a serial tax cheat who repeatedly schemed to steal from American taxpayers, including two people whose identities he used to file fraudulent tax returns, to the sum of nearly $875,000 in refunds.” Hatcher added that such activities undermine the tax system and place an additional burden on honest taxpayers.
Court documents reveal that between 2016 and 2020, Mountford conspired with another individual to submit false income tax returns seeking undeserved refunds. They filed these returns using their own names as well as those of two unsuspecting individuals, falsely claiming wages from a non-existent employer and reporting alimony payments to increase refund amounts.
Mountford and his co-conspirator received $873,723.53 from these fraudulent activities. Of this amount, Mountford deposited $757,075.53 into his personal bank accounts and purchased approximately $360,000 worth of new vehicles. Additionally, he distributed about $170,000 in cash and gold bars to his co-conspirator as compensation.
Besides serving his prison term, Judge Nunley ordered Mountford to one year of supervised release and restitution payment of $757,075.53 to the United States.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation with prosecution led by Trial Attorneys John C. Gerardi and Charles A. O’Reilly of the Tax Division along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma.