A Florida man received a $980,000 tax refund — after reporting only $18,497 in earnings. But he didn’t get to keep it.
Ramon Christopher Blanchett is facing criminal charges for falsifying his tax return. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Blanchett claimed in 2017 one of his employers paid him $17,098, withholding $1,000,000 for federal income tax. He was actually paid $2,098 with no income tax withheld. He accurately reported $1,399 in wages from another employer, the complaint reads.
In spite of what many would see as a red flag, the Treasury Department cut Blanchett a check for $980,000. In July, after realizing the error, the IRS seized $919,251.94 from three of Blanchett’s credit union accounts. Investigators also took custody of a Lexus RC 350, which they say he purchased with the refund.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/us/tax-refund-check.html
