(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
 
 

Monroe, Louisiana . . . WARNER D. WILLIAMS, age 41, of Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false claims with the Internal Revenue Service, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced today.  WILLIAMS entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Robert G. James in Monroe. Sentencing has been scheduled for August 12, 2002 at 1:30 p.m.

A bill of information was filed in February 2002 charging WILLIAMS with making false claims against the United States.  WILLIAMS admitted that he knowingly made and presented to the Internal Revenue Service nine false tax returns in the names of five individuals claiming income tax refunds.  Each claim was false in that the named individual did not authorize that the return be filed, did not sign the return, did not earn the income reported, nor was any tax withheld.  Returns filed by WILLIAMS were false in that they reflected income and withholdings which were not attributable to him.  In each of the false returns, WILLIAMS also used false dependents and claimed Earned Income Credit.  The names and social security numbers of the dependents used in the false returns were obtained by WILLIAMS from an elementary school where he was formerly employed as a custodian.  The false claims were made throughout 1997, 1998 and 1999.  WILLIAMS received refunds from these false returns totaling $17,464.

WILLIAMS faces a penalty of not more than five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.  Sentencing in federal court is governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.  Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Criminal Investigation of the Internal Revenue Service, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald E. Hathaway, Jr.

For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W. Washington at 337-262-6680 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.

This and other press releases issued by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana can be found at our website at  http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law.

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