A Springfield man yesterday became the 13th defendant to plead guilty in a sprawling tax fraud conspiracy that involved at least 20 people.
Travis Ashmead, 30, pleaded guilty to filing a false and fraudulent income tax return, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Ashmead admitted to aiding and abetting the crimes of co-defendant Cherie Dupuis, the ringleader of the conspiracy who
pleaded guilty in July. Dupuis led a scheme that, from February 2009 to March 2012, claimed roughly $340,630 from the IRS, of which about $336,839 was false income. Through the scheme, the IRS lost $284,169.
Ashmead’s role was to file false income tax returns for the 2009 and 2010 tax years. He provided his personal information to Dupuis, who filed the returns, according to the release.
For 2009, Ashmead fraudulently claimed a refund of $10,343, but the IRS stopped the refund before it was released. However, the fraud was successful in 2010, when he received a $10,234 return.
Under federal statutes, Ashmead could receive a sentence of up to five years in prison without parole, a fine of up to $250,000 and a restitution order. His sentencing hearing will be held after the U.S. Probation Office wraps up its presentence investigation, according to the release.