North Texas tax preparer gets 11 years for fraud, ID theft

DALLAS (AP) — A North Texas tax preparer with a history of submitting bogus returns must serve 11 years in prison and repay nearly $2.3 million in an identity theft scam.

Yolanda Lavell Kaiser of Mesquite was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Dallas.

Kaiser in April pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Her criminal history includes a 2004 conviction for aiding or assisting in preparation of false tax returns.

Prosecutors say the latest case involves more than 1,300 people whose identities were stolen by Kaiser to submit U.S. tax returns and get refunds on prepaid debit cards.

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The victims, in a scam from September 2013 through August 2014, were not aware that Kaiser used their personal information.

Kaiser, who worked for tax preparation firms in Dallas and Mesquite, must repay the U.S. government.