Man who obtained $234K in fraudulent tax refunds sentenced

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Florida man has been sentenced to over four years in federal prison for filing hundreds of fake tax returns in several states, including Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Damian Barrett of Homestead, Florida, filed 745 fake tax returns in 19 different states from 2015 to 2018. Court documents say Barrett owned two Florida-based tax preparation companies and used the first to submit tax returns for legitimate clients and the second to submit fraudulent income tax returns. Barrett sought nearly $900,000 in fraudulent tax refunds and received over $234,000. He pleaded guilty to mail fraud, filing a false tax return and aggravated identity theft.