Vallejo Woman Admits to Tax Fraud, ID Theft

A Vallejo woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to submitting false federal tax returns and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said.

Between Jan. 7, 2012, and May 19, 2012, Leticia Roque, 48, and co-defendants Marcus Cooper, 29, and Tiana Naples, 28, both of Vallejo, filed at least 60 fraudulent tax returns to the IRS, prosecutors said.

The returns contained other people’s names and reported income, employers, tax credits and tax withholdings that were false, according to prosecutors.

The defendants filed the returns without the knowledge or permission of the taxpayers, prosecutors said.

On the returns, the defendants sought about $209,713 in refunds and the defendants received about $102,521 in prepaid debit cards, according to prosecutors.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service investigated the case, prosecutors said.

“Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partner in law enforcement on this investigation and will continue to protect the public and the U.S. Mail against all forms of misuse,” San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge John Mendez is set to sentence Roque on Feb. 9, 2016.

Roque faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for filing the false returns and a mandatory two-year term for the aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock