Bluefield Woman Indicted on Federal Tax Charges, Wire Fraud, Lying to Federal Agents

Teresa Barringer Charged in Indicted Unsealed Following Her Arrest Last Week

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A Federal grand jury sitting in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon charged a Bluefield, Va., woman last week with close to 10 federal crimes related to her failure to collect taxes, wire fraud, and making false statements, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced.

In an indictment returned under seal Tuesday, October 22 and unsealed last week following her arrest, the grand jury charged Teresa Blankenship Barringer, 58, with four counts of willfully failing to collect or pay taxes, two counts of wire fraud, and three counts of making a false statements to a federal agent.

The investigation of the case was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan and Randy Ramseyer will prosecute the case for the United States.

A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.