Three family members from Arlington have been sentenced to federal prison after a jury convicted them in a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme, authorities said.
Federal Prosecutors say David Hunt was sentenced to 92 months in prison, his son, Baylon Hunt, received 38 months, and Baylon Hunt’s half-brother, Corey Burt, was sentenced to 94 months. Officials said the men orchestrated a scheme involving fraudulent tax filings tied to purported trusts they controlled.
According to court records, the Hunts, of Arlington, and Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi, worked with another family member to file false tax returns seeking more than $8.5 million in refunds to which they were not entitled.
As part of the scheme, Baylon Hunt and another relative submitted additional fraudulent documents to the Internal Revenue Service, including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. Authorities said the group continued filing false returns even after receiving warning letters from the IRS instructing them to stop.
Prosecutors said the co-conspirators ultimately obtained more than $1.7 million in fraudulent refunds, which they used to purchase luxury items, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade and a home in Mississippi.
All four defendants were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States. David Hunt, Burt and the additional family member were also found guilty of multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Baylon Hunt was acquitted on two counts related to preparing false returns.
In addition to their prison sentences, the defendants were ordered to jointly pay $1,774,864 in restitution to the United States.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
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