GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Nearly three dozen people are accused of filing false tax returns using the identities of patients and employees of the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center and inmates at the Michigan Department of Corrections. Thirty-four people have been charged with conspiracy to commit tax fraud.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles announced the indictments Tuesday that the defendants tried to defraud the IRS.
The indictment alleges that the group, led by Derrick J. Gibson, filed 4,668 false tax returns from 2007 through 2014, totaling fraudulent refunds of over $22 million.
Twenty-four of the defendants have been arrested so far, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. All 34 defendants are from Battle Creek. Each faces a possible sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The 34 people charged:
- Derrick J. Gibson, 52
- Charmica Griffin, 44
- Stephanie T. Baker, 34
- Latia M. Williams, 41
- Alvin E. Stephenson II, 46
- Sandria M. Blakely, 34
- Edward Warden, Jr., 47
- Chanel McClenney, 35
- Darwin Gibson, 25
- Bobby Crabtree, 45
- Deqynn Gibson, 24
- Darrien Gibson, 25
- Rochelle R. Velasquez, 29
- Scherrie McNutt, 35
- Devoine Gibson, 51
- Prentis H. Gibson, 74
- Lamont Joyner, 25
- Shameika N. Carr-McClenney, 33
- Charleeta Cork, 39
- Keith Cork, 41
- Maiya R. Jackson, 21
- Shawn McKnight, 36
- David Haymer, 48
- Diallo Dotson, 42
- Romell Bolden, 25
- Labrisha Porter, 23
- Kypree Taylor, 22
- Rosemary Boyd, 53
- Patricia Riddle-McClinton, 60
- Joseph Jeremy Johnson, 29
- Kisha N. Evans 36
- Rashall Ford, 47
- Simone Watkins, 47
- Romaro Carswell, 45
