Windsor Man Pleads Guilty to Duping IRS of Over $250,000

NEW HAVEN, CT — A Windsor man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to one count of filing a false tax return, which resulted in him fraudulently receiving more than a quarter million dollars from the Internal Revenue Service.

Craig Francis, 44, also known as Horus Durjaya Bey, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson on May 17, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of three years., according to John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in Feb. 2009, Francis E-filed a 2008 federal income tax return that listed falsely inflated amounts of both interest income received and taxable income withheld by the government, and requested a fraudulent refund of $255,904. The Internal Revenue Service issued the refund before determining that the tax return was fraudulent, and that Francis was actually entitled to a refund of only $4,073, Durham said.

Francis spent more than $220,000 within five weeks of receiving the fraudulent refund. He has agreed that, as of today, he owes restitution to the IRS of $380,448.06, which includes interest and penalties, Durham said.

Francis was arrested June 7, 2017, in Kissimmee, Fla. He is free on $250,000 bond pending sentencing, Durham said.

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