Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Public Money and Aggravated Identity Theft

A Marietta, Georgia resident was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain income tax refunds, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney John A. Horn for the Northern District of Georgia.

Peter Isika, 46, pleaded guilty on June 30 to theft of public money and aggravated identity theft.  During 2013 and 2014, Isika filed at least 50 false income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using stolen identities that he purchased over the Internet. Isika directed the fraudulently obtained tax refunds to prepaid debit cards and bank accounts that he controlled.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, Isika was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $419,810.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Horn commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Jason Poole and Mara Strier of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kamal Ghali, who are prosecuting the case.