A New Bedford woman has been sentenced in federal court for stealing federal funds through fraudulent tax returns. Valentina Martinez, 50, received a sentence of 12 months of supervised release under home confinement, with electronic monitoring for the first six months. She was also ordered to pay $41,823 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In December 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to five counts of theft of government money.
Martinez worked for a national tax return preparation service where she prepared returns for clients and provided them copies. However, she added fraudulent claims for business deductions without their knowledge and electronically filed these false returns to obtain refunds. The refunds were deposited onto debit cards used by Martinez for personal expenses, including a Florida vacation. Her scheme was uncovered when a client complained about a missing refund, leading to her termination. By that time, she had filed at least 12 false returns causing over $40,000 in losses to the IRS.
The case is part of the Stolen Identity Refund Project (SIRF) program by the IRS aimed at identifying tax preparers who use stolen identities to file false tax returns and claim refunds without taxpayers' knowledge.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Boston Field Office, announced the sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild prosecuted the case.