Inmate filed 63 false tax returns

A man on state Department of Corrections supervision in Richland, Wash., accepted a plea deal Thursday on two counts of filing false claims.

An IRS criminal investigation found Richard I. Vancil, 44, falsified claims for income tax refunds amounting to nearly $93,000 in three years.

According to court documents, in August 2008 Vancil, who was an inmate in the Coyote Ridge Correctional Facility in Connell, Wash., prepared a falsified tax return for a taxpayer identified only as “T.M.” for a return of $1,500. In September 2008, federal prosecutors say, Vancil prepared another falsified claim for more than $1,900 on a return for a taxpayer identified as “J.D.”

An IRS criminal investigation found that Vancil filed about 63 false claims for income tax refunds totaling nearly $93,000 for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years. The IRS paid more than $54,000 as a result of the false claims; it is unclear if Vancil will face additional charges.

His sentencing is set for July 27. The Class D felony carries a maximum sentence of not more than five years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, up to three years probation and payment of restitution. The court may impose consecutive sentences for each charge.