Springfield Man Who Stole Identities Gets Decade In Prison: Feds

SPRINGFIELD, PA – A Springfield Township man was sentenced to 10 years prison time for defrauding the IRS through identity theft, including stealing foster children's identities, according to federal officials.

Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced on Nov. 6 that Mohamed Mansaray, 41, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, will serve 120 months in prison for crimes related to taxes. Additionally, Mansaray was ordered to pay $5,277.04 in restitution for the loss to the Internal Revenue Service on the false income tax returns he prepared.

Mansaray was convicted of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, aiding and abetting the preparation of false federal income tax returns, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, according to Lappen's office.

Mansaray, a former social worker, was the owner of Medman’s Financial Services, a tax preparation service with offices in Philadelphia, according to Lappen's office.

Medman’s filed numerous false federal income tax returns which generated fraudulent tax refunds, some as large as $9,000, Lappen's office said.

Mansaray and his co–conspirators, other tax preparers at Medman’s, obtained stolen personal identity information of foster children and used that information as fraudulent dependents on numerous income tax returns prepared for Philadelphia clients.

The stolen identities were purchased from Gebah Kamara, a former Catholic Social Services employee, who was sentenced to a 30-month prison term last week by Judge Bartle.

Kamara was paid approximately $200 to $300 for each child’s identity that was included on an income tax return accepted by the IRS for processing, according to Lappen's office.

Mansaray charged clients a fee of as much as $800 for fraudulently including a false dependent on an income tax return. Over 300 foster children’s identities were stolen and misused during the scheme, Lappen's office said.

Mansaray was first charged with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and aiding and abetting the preparation of false federal income tax returns in May 2013.

Mansaray pleaded guilty to those charges in July 2014.

Additional investigation showed that after he pleaded guilty Mansaray continued to prepare fraudulent income tax returns for clients.

Mansaray’s bail was revoked and he was imprisoned in May 2016, after he was charged again in April 2016 with numerous additional counts of aiding and abetting the preparation of false federal income tax returns, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Mansaray pleaded guilty to those charges in March 2017.

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