MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Wheeler News Service) — Three sisters from Milwaukee are charged with filing about two-thousand fraudulent state income tax returns which netted them 234-thousand dollars.
Prosecutors said the three women also filed claims for another 725-thousand — but the Revenue Department saw them as being bogus and blocked the refunds.
Thirty-seven year old Angela Staten is charged in Milwaukee County with 40 felony counts of identity theft and filing fraudulent tax returns. Her twin sister Sharon Staten is charged with 22 similar counts. Arrest warrants were out for both twins at last word.
Thirty-five year old Tawanda Staten was in custody, and was expected to appear in court today. She’s charged with 28 felonies, for a total of 90 charges among the three defendants.
Authorities said two men helped the defendants, and they allegedly stole the names of Wisconsin and Mississippi prison inmates as the fake tax filers. The returns were filed for 2011-and-’12.
Officials said Angela Staten told her boyfriend on the phone that it was like getting money from the “tooth fairy.” Her boyfriend was in prison — and workers recorded the phone call.
