Stockton Woman Sentenced to Prison for Online Sales of More Than $1 Million in Stolen Merchandise

FRESNO, CA—Thuy Vi Thi Wagner, 34, of Stockton, was sentenced on Monday, January 28, 2013, by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to four years and three months in federal prison for mail fraud and aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today.
According to court documents, between 2002 and September 2010, Wagner personally shoplifted large amounts of women’s designer clothing from department stores. She then sold these stolen items at approximately one-third of the retail price to buyers in California and other states through an online auction website. Wagner did not disclose to unsuspecting buyers that the merchandise was stolen. Once buyers made payments to her Internet-based account, she mailed them the merchandise. Wagner obtained more than $400,000 from buyers of the stolen merchandise. The retail value of merchandise Wagner shoplifted from department stores in furtherance of the fraud scheme exceeded $1 million.
Wagner also aided and assisted in preparing and presenting a false tax return for tax year 2007 that did not disclose approximately $105,056 of net income from the sale of approximately 2,236 items of stolen clothing in 2007.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Henry Z. Carbajal, III prosecuted the case.

Man Indicted for Obstructing and Impeding the IRS by Filing False IRS Forms Claiming $36 Million in Refunds

Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney, Northern District of New York, announces that a federal grand jury in Syracuse has returned a seven-count indictment charging Glenn Richard Unger (62, of Ogdensburg, New York) with obstructing and impeding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by filing numerous false and fraudulent IRS forms seeking refunds. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Glenn Richard Unger obstructed and impeded the IRS between 2007 and 2011 by filing numerous false and fraudulent claims with the IRS for payment of a refund of taxes totaling approximately 36 million dollars. Upon receiving the false IRS forms, the IRS realized that they were fraudulent and did not issue any refund checks to Glenn Richard Unger. The indictment also alleges that the defendant filed false claims for refunds, evaded paying income taxes, and filed a fictitious obligation. If found guilty, the defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years, a term of supervised release of up to three years, and a maximum fine of $250,000. The defendant was arraigned in Albany, New York, on January 2, 2013, before United States Magistrate Judge Randolph F. Treece and is currently detained.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This prosecution resulted from an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Albany Field Office; the New York State Police; and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ransom P. Reynolds. Further questions may be directed to Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney John Duncan at (315) 448-0672.