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Prisoner Gets Extended Sentence For Tax Fraud
An Arizona man who is currently serving a life sentence, recently had four years added to his jail term for committing tax fraud while in prison.
Troy Fears, 54, who is detained in the Maine State Prison, was sentenced after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, according to the Kennebec Journal. He filed more than 100 fraudulent tax returns for the Internal Revenue Service during the period of 2005 to 2009.
The fraudulent activity earned Fears approximately $119,000 from the IRS, the report said. Fears also filed $515,000 worth of claims for federal stimulus money that was originally intended to help the economy during the recent recession.
The plan was foiled when employees at the prison discovered mailed refund checks addressed to Fears, the news source said.
Fears entered jail 35 years ago at the age of 19 after being convicted of two rapes with a knife, the news source reported. Originally sentenced to 60 years to life, his sentence increased to life with no chance of parole for committing an assault against another prisoner.