NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A man involved in a conspiracy to file false federal income tax returns on behalf of county jail inmates has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.
Reginald Eaford received a 51-month term Tuesday. The 47-year-old East Orange man also must pay $200,045 in restitution.
Eaford and another man pleaded guilty last December to conspiracy to make and present false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims to the IRS.
Federal prosecutors say the pair and others obtained personal information from the inmates. Eaford and Moses then generated false W-2 forms indicating the inmates had earned income during the relevant tax year and that federal income tax had been withheld from their paychecks.
Authorities have said the inmates used the refunds they received to pay for bail, lawyers, and other expenses.
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