Utah man convicted of filing false claims for tax refunds

A Heber City man accused of trying to scam the federal government into giving him nearly $1 million in false tax refunds is now facing serious prison time.

A federal jury in Salt Lake City convicted Dick Reid Jenkins on Monday of 18 counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds and one count of presenting a fictitious financial instrument. Jenkins could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison on the fictitious obligation conviction and up to five years for each count of filing a false income tax claim.

Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups on Sept. 9.

According to court documents, Jenkins claimed he was owed a $402,920 refund for the 2007 tax year and $434,261 for 2008. He also was charged with helping file 16 other returns with false claims for about $8.5 million with the use of a false IRS Form 1099-OID, Original Issue Discount.

And in 2008, Jenkins presented a false financial instrument in the amount of $300 million to the Department of Justice, court documents say.

Jenkins was licensed by the state of Utah as a certified public accountant at the time he committed his crimes, the Justice Department says.

The Internal Revenue Service has listed the use of a false IRS Form 1099-OID form as one of its "Dirty Dozen" worst tax scams each year from 2009 through 2014.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC