Ab-Titchaz
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 30, 2008
- 14,631
- 4,225
Sisters Pursuit of Education in US
The Kansas City courthouse in which the Kenyans were sent to prison
The Kansas City courthouse in which the Kenyans were sent to prison
By SAMUEL SIRINGI Posted Friday, November 14 2008 at 23:29
A familys hopes after sending two daughters to the US for further studies, expecting them to come back with university degrees, have been dashed. Loretta Wavinya, 32, and Lillian Nzongi, 28, were on Friday sent to jail in the US for fraud.
The US law came down hard on the sisters who were convicted for multi-million-dollar fraud involving stealing identity documents of residents of a nursing home in the American heartland and making false tax returns.
They will serve a joint 20-year jail term for defrauding the tax collecting agent, the Internal Revenue Service (the equivalent to Kenya Revenue Authority) of close to Sh1 billion. Wavinya was sentenced to 14 years, while Nzongi will serve five years and 10 months.
The attorney for the western district of Missouri, Mr John Wood, said the women, who went to the US on student visas, conned the government of millions of dollars in Missouri.
Todays lengthy sentences send a clear message to others who may be considering cheating the tax-payers or using other peoples identities, he said.
But Wavinyas sentence was even lighter. Under the US law, she could have been liable to a mandatory minimum sentence of up to 27 years in prison, plus a fine of up to Sh4.88 billion ($750,000).
Ther woman who hatched the plot to rob the revenue organisation of a staggering $15 million (Sh975 million), pleaded guilty in June to having a hand in the conspiracy.
The Kansas City resident admitted the offence before US judge John Maughmer to the charges contained in a July 18, 2007, prosecution.
Wavinya was taken to a Kansas City court last year, along with four other Kenyans, to face various counts of tax fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, identity theft and conspiracy.
The prosecution described her at the time as the leader of the racket in which the more than 360 fraudulent tax refund claims were filed.
Arraigned in court together with Wavinya were Nzongi, Aaron Mutavi, 28, Moses Ndubai, 33, and 23-year-old Vincent Ogega.
Another seven Kenyans, some of whom are believed to have since returned home, were linked by investigators to the case.
Ogega was recently sentenced to 12.5 months imprisonment, while Mutavi was sentenced to time served which means that he was released.
Mr Ndubai and Mr Kamau are awaiting sentencing.
The scheme involved stealing the identity information of hundreds of victims, primarily residents of old peoples homes, which were used to seek the more than Sh975 million in federal tax refunds.
Wavinya and her accomplices were first charged with the offence in July, last year. She later admitted to having a substantial role in the conspiracy to steal identity information, predominantly from elderly nursing home patients.
She then used the information to file at least 365 fraudulent federal tax return forms from February 2005 to July, last year. Together with fellow conspirators, she sought refunds in 27 different states.
In addition, Wavinya pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity information theft.
She committed the offences while she worked as a tax preparer and as a certified radiology technician in Kansas City.
DAILY NATION*- Sistersâ pursuit of education in US
