Don't Miss

Databases: Search public records data

Across the Region

Georgia Wire | South Carolina Wire | More U.S. News | All AP News

Ga. man bilked IRS for $2.8 million while in prison

Georgia Newspaper Partnership

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 8:00 AM

Last updated 8:23 PM

Comments (7)

Follow Crime & courts

ATLANTA -- Federal prosecutors said Wednesday a Marietta man cheated the Internal Revenue Service out of $2.8 million in tax refunds by filing false returns from state prison.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Arnold Tobias Gervais, 34, admitted in U.S. District Court that he’d hoped to get more than $3.4 million in federal tax refunds before his scheme of claiming wages and withholdings from a fictitious company unraveled, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Gervais was in state prison in 2009 serving time for trying to get more than $600,000 in state income tax refunds illegally when he had his wife file a 2008 return to get more than $800,000 in federal refunds illegally.

Prosecutors said Gervais sought refunds of more than $3.4 million, and was able to persuade the IRS to refund him $2.8 million. The agency, however, was able to recover $2.2 million from accounts Gervais controlled.

Read more:

Please login or register to add a comment

Comments (7)

Add comment

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.

3272 POINTS

View Profile

3272

Points

GnipGnop 01/17/13 - 09:07 am

Well you can't....

throw him in jail for it!

12 POINTS

View Profile

Points

gordonkearse 01/17/13 - 09:21 am

A real genius! I guess we

A real genius! I guess we need to elect him to congress, too, after he gets a pardon.

10331 POINTS

View Profile

10331

Points

harley_52 01/17/13 - 09:40 am

Proof Positive...

...prisons aren't what they used to be and aren't what they should be.

Prisons are supposed to be punishment. They're supposed to be places you don't want to go. Unpleasant at least, downright miserable to be most effective.

Today's prisons are cushy, pleasant places where you get 3 squares a day, color TV, air conditioning, a chance to finish your education, learn a skill, and enough free time to defraud the government out of millions of dollars.

What happened to chain gangs? Rocks and sledgehammers? Cool Hand Luke?

14357 POINTS

View Profile

14357

Points

dichotomy 01/17/13 - 10:04 am

This is just the tip of the

This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the fraud committed against the taxpayers when we pass our hard earned money through the hands our incompetent government representatives and agencies. And it's just like the drugs being smuggled across our southern border. They advertise the BIG catches but they only catch a small percentage of the drugs and the IRS, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. only catch a small percentage of the fraud. We give them SO MUCH MONEY to waste that it isn't really worth their efforts to prevent fraud. After all, there is always more where that came from.

And I'm with OC.....prisoners should not have the time or the access to get into this kind of mischief. No internet, no TV, all mail incoming and outgoing should be examined, all phone calls monitored, and all visits on Sunday afternoon through a small window with no touching. Monday through Saturday should be work detail.

12325 POINTS

View Profile

12325

Points

Jane18 01/17/13 - 10:16 am

Hook or Crook, Get the $$$$$!

So many employees of our government, and they cannot keep up with the fraud that is committed! Just look at the liars and thieves getting disability checks, EBT card(food stamps), housing allowances, free phones, electriciy allowances, medicaid, large IRS checks, etc.. I know there are people that need help and there really are disabled folks, but, I also know there are millions that do not deserve doodley-squat. Out of all the county, state, and federal employees, a "Fraud-Squad needs to be formed. As I have said before, people that hook the government for "free stuff"(money or services), they are a liar and a thief!! You are correct harley...where are the chain gangs???? Jail and prison time should be hard, a time of deep reflection for these criminal people and their wasted lives.

2568 POINTS

View Profile

2568

Points

rmwhitley 01/17/13 - 10:23 am

That's

Unpublished

24751 POINTS

View Profile

24751

Points

soapy_725 01/17/13 - 10:35 am

Medicare has a fraud squad.

Unpublished

3272 POINTS

View Profile

3272

Points

GnipGnop 01/17/13 - 11:13 am

Just wait....

Until Obamacare kicks in....talk about fraud and red tape? Ever had a pleasant experience getting a tag, title or your license renewed? Yet we want the government to take over healthcare????

2463 POINTS

View Profile

2463

Points

my.voice 01/17/13 - 03:13 pm

And you want to be my latex

And you want to be my latex salesman! (Seinfeld)

Whats funny is I made an honest error on my 2010 taxes and was sent a nastygram from the IRS. The tax owed was $110..... a far cry from 2.8mil.

This right here, RIGHT HERE, is why the Government shouldn't be running anything. They have gutted social security, Medicare is a train wreck, and "professional unemployed" are rampant. Did anyone not see the woman going on about Obama gave her a phone? She said, sure he did, food stamps, disability, unemployment checks. The woman is LIVING on our backs. Thats not unemployment, its a parasite.

Here's my plan for unemployment:

*6 Months on - REVIEW
*If you pass the review, 6 more months.
*At the end of the 12 month cycle, you are out of the system
for five years, regardless of circumstances.
* As a parting gift, you get a block of cheese, Gummint Cheese.

Unfair? Not a chance. If you cannot find employment within a 12 month period, you are a parasite.

You want me to balance the budget? One week and three friends and we will have us back on course.