WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A Worcester woman who took part in a scheme to cheat the Internal Revenue Service out of nearly $400,000 will spend a year in federal prison.
Lydia Torres was also ordered on Tuesday to pay $393,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
The 45-year-old pleaded guilty last year to charges of identity theft and conspiracy to file false claims.
Prosecutors say while running her own tax preparation business, Torres stole the money by filing false tax returns based on stolen identities from Puerto Rico.
Her lawyer, Glen Randall, had argued against a prison sentence, saying Torres only got a 10 percent cut of the stolen money and has a 7-year-old son.
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