United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

HAMDEN MAN ADMITS ROLE IN TAX REFUND SCHEME

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that IGOR RODOV, 31, a citizen of Belarus residing on Towne House Road in Hamden, pleaded guilty on Friday, February 29, before Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to one count of aiding and abetting the commission of wire fraud.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in Court, beginning in January 2006 and continuing until November 2006, RODOV aided and abetted another individual to engage in a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Treasury and 120 individual federal income taxpayers of money by means of materially false and fraudulent representation.  The other individual was able to obtain the personal information of the individual taxpayers, without consent, including names, addresses, social security numbers, and wage information.  The individual thereafter used that personal information to electronically file federal income tax returns for those taxpayers using two web sites.  Those filings were done without the consent of the taxpayers.  The individual electronically signed each of the filings and, in so doing, fraudulently represented that he was the individual taxpayer named in the filings.

RODOV knowingly associated and participated in this scheme to defraud by opening several bank accounts in his personal name with several banks in Connecticut.  Subsequently, the individual taxpayers’ fraudulently obtained tax refunds were deposited into the bank accounts opened and maintained by RODOV.

Judge Burns has scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2008, at which time RODOV faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor commended the investigation of this matter that was conducted by Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Kang.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov