Two Idaho Women Sentenced for Tax Fraud
BOISE, Idaho – Two Idaho women are paying for their tax crimes.
Nampa resident Mandie Stacy pleaded guilty in May to income tax evasion and welfare fraud, according to a news release Friday by the Idaho State Tax Commission, and Nancy Jensen, of Blackfoot, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of filing a false income tax return.
The crimes landed them behind bars, but they also have to pay hefty fines.
Stacy fraudulently received $26,000 in food stamp and Medicaid benefits and failed to report the fraudulent income on her taxes, the release says. She was sentenced to serve up to 12 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in two years. Stacy also must pay $27,000 in restitution.
Jensen was sentenced to serve 10 days in jail, five years of probation and 100 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay a $500 fine.
The Tax Commission explains:
Tax fraud includes doing something to evade paying taxes, like filing a false document, filing a false tax return or underreporting income. It also includes filing a tax return under someone else’s name to get a refund. The Tax Commission finds tax fraud from its routine identity theft fraud detection, tax audits, and tips from prosecutors and the public.
“People who cheat on their taxes not only rob the state of the funds needed to provide critical services, they also increase the cost paid by honest taxpayers,” Tax Commission Chairman Ken Roberts said in the release. “We will continue to work with county prosecutors and others to pursue these tax evaders.”