Woodstock Man Gets 3 Years in Prison For Tax Refund Scheme

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A Woodstock resident and another man have both been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a tax refund scheme.

Obi Emelogu, 51, of Woodstock, on Tuesday was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. HIs sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release and he is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $719,872.

Emelogu was convicted on these charges in October 2014 after he pleaded guilty to the crime.

Additionally, Oloh Samuel, 33, of Acworth, was also sentenced to one year and six months in prison, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $146,179.

Samuel was also convicted on these charges following his guilty plea in December.

“These defendants brazenly stole money from the American taxpayers with little regard for whom they affect,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “We have committed resources to combat this kind of theft, and will aggressively pursue and prosecute those who believe they can file false tax returns.”

Prosecutors argued Emelogu filed false income tax returns and directed the fraudulent refunds be deposited into bank accounts he and Samuel controlled.

According to Horn, Emelogu owned and operated Marietta-based O.B. Consulting and Tax Services, LLC, a tax preparation business.

In 2012, he filed hundreds of false tax returns, “claiming fraudulent refunds that were directed into his bank account,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in its press release.

The Woodstock resident also filed false tax returns that were deposited into a bank account Samuel controlled, Horn’s case outlined.

Electronic evidence also showed that additional false tax returns were filed from overseas and refunds were deposited into Samuel’s bank account, the office noted. Many of the tax refunds that were directed into the defendants’ bank accounts came from tax returns that used stolen names and Social Security numbers.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas J. Krepp and DOJ Criminal Tax Division Trial Attorney Jason Poole prosecuted the case.

“These sentences send a clear message that the federal government will aggressively investigate and prosecute the crime of identity theft involving stolen tax refunds,” said J. Russell George, treasury inspector general for Tax Administration (TIGTA). “While criminals may find it easy to steal someone’s identity using their personal information, they need to know that the punishment for committing this crime will be commensurate with the devastating toll identity theft takes on its victims.”

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