Former CPA Sentenced to Prison for Wire Fraud, Identity Theft

A judge sentenced a former Oakland accountant to 51 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Robert Doyle, 64, will also have to pay $142,031 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release when he leaves prison, prosecutors said.

Doyle, who was a certified public accountant until 1987, pleaded guilty to charges on Feb. 23. Doyle conducted identity theft and a tax fraud scheme in 2011, 2012 and 2013, resulting in fraudulent tax refunds, prosecutors said. Doyle created false businesses and was claiming false income and expenses for his clients, prosecutors said.

The false income and expenses allowed him to claim for his clients larger refunds than allowed by the IRS, according to prosecutors. Doyle also prepared and filed false tax returns using the names and social security numbers of former clients without their knowledge or consent, prosecutors said.

Doyle had the refunds on many tax returns sent to addresses where he could get them or had the funds deposited directly to a bank account of his, prosecutors said. Doyle will begin serving his sentence Oct. 5.

By Bay City News

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