Suitland woman among three indicted on fraud charges

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Suitland woman among three indicted on fraud charges

by Andy MacAlpine | Staff Writer

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A Suitland woman and two others were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on fraud and identity theft charges in connection with a scheme to file false income tax returns using the names and Social Security numbers of inmates.

Karen Woodard, 42, of Suitland; Giacumo Marzano, 66, of Baltimore; and Melanie Taylor, 34, of La Plata face a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and 20 years for mail fraud, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Marzano also faces a maximum of 15 years for producing false identification documents, and a mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft, consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

The three were scheduled to have their initial appearances in federal district court March 27.

According to the 10-count indictment, Marzano supplied inmates of the Maryland Division of Correction with income tax forms from 2004 to 2007 and coordinated with Woodard and Taylor to mail, receive and cash the inmates’ tax refunds. Marzano and Taylor opened bank accounts for inmates to facilitate cashing the tax refund checks. Marzano also opened a post office box that received money orders from the proceeds of the fictitious tax refunds. After taking part of the refunds for themselves, Woodard and Taylor sent the remainder of the refunds to Marzano, the inmates and others, the release said.

According to the indictment, the scheme involved more than 101 fictitious inmate tax returns with claims totaling $365,599.41.