Guilty Plea In $400,000 Tax Refund Scam

A former tax examiner for the District of Columbia pleaded guilty in a scam involving more than $400,000 in fake refunds.

Ayers-Zander, 47, of College Park, Md., entered the guilty plea Thursday in U.S. District Court.

According to the prosecutors’ press release, Ayers-Zander used her position to issue fraudulent tax refunds that were sent to her personal bank accounts and others. The payments took place on at least 48 occasions between February 2007 and January 2011.

“This tax examiner was supposed to be protecting the public’s tax dollars, not squandering them on herself and her friends,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.

Ayers-Zander was hired by the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) in 2001 as a tax examining assistant, according to authorities. She was promoted to the position of tax examining technician in June 2007.

In that position, Ayers-Zander had the ability to access a taxpayer’s account to make adjustments, including issuing refunds without contacting the taxpayer. If the amount was below $10,000, she could do this without supervisory approval. In addition, she could make electronic payments by entering a financial institution’s routing information and account number.

As part of the plea agreement, Ayers-Zander is required to pay restitution of more than $410,000 to the District of Columbia.