Jeannette Man Pleads Guilty in IRS Impersonation Fraud Scheme

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

Ronnell Taylor, Jr., 40, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from in or around March 2016 to in or around August 2017, Ronnell Taylor, Jr. participated in an IRS impersonation fraud conspiracy.  The IRS impersonation fraud scheme involved call centers located in India that would use phone numbers to make their calls appear to originate in the United States.  The calls would provide recorded information to individuals in the United States and fraudulently claim that the call was from the IRS concerning the individual’s failure to pay taxes.  The call would provide a U.S.-based telephone number for the individual to call in order to resolve the matter.  Calls to these U.S.-based telephone numbers would be automatically forwarded to call centers in India, and those who answered would tell callers that they owed money to the IRS and demand immediate payment via gift card or other means.  

The court was advised that, to assist in this fraud scheme, Taylor would activate cell phones in the United States.  To do so, he would insert SIM cards into cell phones, activate the cell phone number with the SIM card, and program the cell phone to automatically forward calls to the call centers.  Taylor hired associates to help him program hundreds of cell phones and cell phone numbers.  At all times, Taylor and his co-conspirators activated these cell phones in the Western District of Pennsylvania. 

The court was further advised that Taylor had a working relationship with those involved with the fraudulent call centers, including Sagar Thakar, also known as “Shaggy,” and that after Taylor learned that co-conspirators in India had been charged with conduct related to the IRS impersonation scheme, Taylor destroyed evidence related to the scheme, including prepaid credit cards, cell phones, and documents.

Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for Jan. 17, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.  The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. 

The matter was investigated by United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Anyone with information about allegations of elder fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 833–372–8311.  More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.  For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.  The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.