A former Monterey Park resident was sentenced Monday to 40 months in federal prison for conducting a massive identity theft and tax refund scheme, officials said.
Sang Hwoon Shin, 41, who had been living under an assumed identity, according to authorities, pleaded guilty last year to five counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, according to documents filed with the court.
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He obtained fake DMV documents in the names of identity theft victims and opened bank accounts with them to receive tax refunds over a four-year period, IRS officials said.
In all, the scheme was intended to net $1.4 million, but the actual amount was approximately $316,000, which Shin was ordered to pay in restitution, officials said.
He has been in custody since his arrest in April of 2013.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California
