A New York City tax preparer has been convicted of stealing tax refunds using stolen identities and adding false dependents to his clients’ tax returns.
Mahamadou Daffe, who prepared taxes in Brooklyn and resided in Queens, was found guilty last Friday by a jury in a Manhattan federal court of conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, conspiracy to file false claims, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with preparing and filing nearly 1,000 false tax returns that he submitted online using stolen identities.
Daffe was also convicted of conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and conspiracy to file false claims in connection with the use of stolen children’s identities to claim false dependents on his clients’ tax returns.
The investigation that led to his arrest and conviction was undertaken by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit. Prosecutors estimate that Daffe attempted to steal more than $4.5 million from the government, and the government lost more than $1.5 million as a result of his crimes.
He was convicted after a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald.
