A man from Exeland, Wis., pleaded guilty last week to allegations he stole from the U.S. Treasury by stealing the identity of others, according to U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil of the Western District of Wisconsin.
Jason T. Procknow, 40, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Madison. He pleaded guilty to the theft of funds from the U.S. Treasury and aggravated identity theft for his scheme to file false tax returns and demand tax refunds using the stolen identities of other individuals.
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As described by the assistant U.S. attorney at the plea hearing, Procknow’s conduct involved sending blank forms to prison inmates throughout the country, promising them assistance with their legal difficulties. The forms required the inmates to provide personal identifying information, including social security numbers. Procknow then used the identity and social security numbers of the inmates to file fraudulent tax returns, directing the refunds deposited to his personal bank account.
U.S. District Judge William M. Conley scheduled sentencing for Feb. 13.
Procknow faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, and will be required to pay immediate restitution to the United States in connection with the theft of government funds.
In addition, due to the aggravated identity theft, committed by using the identifying information of another person to commit the felony theft of government funds, he will also face a mandatory two-year sentence, consecutive to any time imposed for the theft of funds.
“This case was successfully investigated and prosecuted because of the exceptional cooperation between federal and local law enforcement,” Vaudreuil said.
“Today’s guilty plea by Procknow exemplifies the IRS’ intense focus on the pursuit of identity thieves who victimize our tax system,” said Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation office in Madison. “These are serious financial crimes for which we continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute those responsible.”
IRS Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Eagan Police Department in Minnesota investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson serve as prosecutor.
