Las Vegas residents indicted for stealing $1M in tax refunds

A federal grand jury in Las Vegas has indicted three people who are accused of stealing more than $1 million in tax refunds from the IRS.

The indictment charges Chanh Trinh, Cannedy Trinh and Elizabeth Trinh with conspiracy to file fraudulent claims for tax refunds and theft of government funds. Chanh Trinh also is charged with filing false claims for tax refunds, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, which was filed Wednesday, the three Las Vegas residents conspired to file federal corporate and individual income tax returns reporting fake income and income tax withholdings. As a result, they obtained more than $1 million in refunds to which they were not entitled, the indictment alleges.

The indictment further alleges that the fraudulent returns were filed in the names of the defendants and others, including a long-deceased family member and fictitious businesses.

Chanh Trinh is accused of preparing and filing the returns. All three defendants are accused of depositing or cashing fraudulently obtained refund checks using multiple bank accounts, brokerage accounts and check-cashing businesses in Las Vegas.

The indictment alleges that the defendants attempted to conceal the source of the funds by purchasing cashier’s checks to obtain gambling chips at casinos.

Contact Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0361. Follow @CarriGeer on Twitter.