Two Zimbabweans plead guilty to US tax fraud
UNITED STATES – Two Zimbabweans based in Texas have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in a stolen refund identity fraud conspiracy, a federal court in Dallas heard.
Reminico Zhangazha appeared before U.S Magistrate Judge David L. Horan on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds.
Last month, co-defendant Tonderai Sakupwanya pleaded guilty to the same offense.
Nehanda Radio understands both men face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Sakupwanya is scheduled to be sentenced on the 8th of September while there is no date set yet for Zhangazha to learn his fate.
The defendants have already had property seized from them and this will be considered in their plea agreements.
In May 2012 during the investigation of this case: $10,613 cash was seized from Zhangazha’s vehicle; $93,513 cash from Villa Piana Luxury Apartments on Noel Road in Dallas; and $4,500 from a residence on Spring Mountain in Plano, Texas.
Zhangazha and Sakupwanya engaged in a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by obtaining stolen tax refunds that were generated by e-filing false and fraudulent income tax returns.
They rented private mailboxes in the names of aliases by using forged United Kingdom passports. They then established bank accounts using the alias names and mailing addresses acquired at the private mailboxes.
During the course of the scheme, Zhangazha used the aliases of “Martin V. Masters” and “Roy Daniel Black.” Sakupwanya used the aliases of “Webster G. Rice,” “Floyd Robbins,” and “Floyd Roberts,” during the scheme.
The Forms 1040 directed the IRS to electronically deposit the refunds into bank accounts the defendants established.
