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TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that a Clifton woman and her boyfriend
have pleaded guilty to charges that they
stole more than $16,000 by filing fraudulent
state tax returns. At the time of the fraud,
the woman was on parole from state prison
in connection with a prior fraud conviction
involving more than 1,400 false state tax
returns.
According
to Paw, Rosa M. Castro, 51, and her boyfriend,
Rafael E. Ramos, 51, pleaded guilty late
yesterday before Superior Court Judge Ronald
Marmo in Passaic County to charges contained
in a March 29 state grand jury indictment.
At yesterday’s hearing, Castro pleaded
guilty to third-degree theft by deception
and third-degree money laundering. Ramos
pleaded guilty to third-degree conspiracy.
In
pleading guilty, Castro admitted to filing
46 fraudulent New Jersey gross income tax
returns between March and December 2006.
She allegedly received 22 refund checks
from the Division of Taxation totaling $15,209
and four homestead rebate checks totaling
$865. Ramos admitted that he allowed Castro
to deposit the checks into two bank accounts
that he maintained.
The
fraudulent returns were uncovered through
an audit by the Division of Taxation. Castro,
who offered tax return preparation services
to others, admitted that she used the names
of 13 different clients, without their permission,
to prepare the fraudulent returns, which
pertained to tax years 2000 through 2005.
All of the returns listed the defendants’
home address.
Castro
pleaded guilty in 2002 to a federal charge
of aiding in the preparation of a false
federal income tax return and received three
years probation. In June 2004, she pleaded
guilty to a second-degree charge of theft
by deception brought by the Division of
Criminal Justice for filing 1,448 fraudulent
tax returns with the State of New Jersey.
She was sentenced to five years in state
prison but was released on parole in October
2005.
Attorney
General Milgram credited Auditor Lee Roach
of the Division of Taxation - Office of
Criminal Investigation and State Investigator
John Neggia of the Division of Criminal
Justice - Major Crimes Bureau for leading
the investigation. Deputy Attorney General
Denise Grugan represented the Division of
Criminal Justice at the guilty plea hearing.
The
defendants are scheduled to be sentenced
on April 11. Third degree crimes carry a
punishment of up to five years in state
prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
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