PHOENIX (AP) - A tax preparer in Glendale has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for using stolen identities to obtain fraudulent refunds.
Prosecutors say 37-year-old Karina Puerta received a 21-month sentence and also was ordered by a judge to pay more than $250,000 in restitution.
Puerta, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
Prosecutors say that beginning in 2011, Puerta submitted fraudulent tax returns by using the names and identities of individuals in Mexico who were unaware their identities were being used.
Puerta filed the fraudulent returns using a substitute identification number issued in the name of the identity-theft victims.
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