California Man Admits to $900K Tax Fraud Scheme

Richard Jason Mountford faces up to 10 years in prison for fraudulent tax returns and misuse of unwarranted refunds.

Richard Jason Mountford pleaded guilty to a tax fraud scheme that resulted in nearly $900,000 in unwarranted refunds from the IRS.
Mountford and an unnamed accomplice submitted false individual income tax returns from 2016 to 2020, claiming they were employed and received wages from a company, and had federal taxes withheld from those wages.
The fraudulent returns also reported alimony payments to increase the refund amount.
Mountford deposited $757,075.53 of the fraud proceeds into his own bank accounts and spent nearly $360,000 on new cars.
Mountford is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.