Two former Springfieldians plead guilty to tax fraud

Two former Springfieldians and an Oak Grove resident pleaded guilty this week to their roles in a tax fraud scheme that claimed nearly $340,000 in false income tax refunds.

Huntsville, Ark., resident Jeannette Dunn, 48, and Pleasant Hope resident Delbert Allen, 37, both formerly of Springfield, as well as Michelle Couchman, 26, of Oak Grove, admitted they were involved in the criminal activity, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Dunn and Allen both pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements, and Couchman pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements.

The ringleader of the scheme, Cherie Christine Dupuis, 43, of Springfield, pleaded guilty last month to personally making and aiding others to create false tax returns between February 2009 to March 2012 that resulted in the IRS losing $284,169, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Dunn, Allen and Couchman were among at least 19 individuals Dupuis and other co-conspirators recruited to assist in the filing of the fraudulent returns using their names and Social Security numbers. The forms included false employment information, wages that hadn’t been earned and taxes that hadn’t been withheld. Dupuis would usually split the fraudulent returns with co-conspirators, according to the release.

Dunn admitted participating in the filing of false tax returns in 2011 and 2012, resulting in the government losing $11,184. In 2011, Couchman was involved in the filing of a false tax return; of the $9,717 refund, she gave Dupuis roughly $3,000. Allen admitted he engaged in schemes during tax years 2011 and 2012, resulting in a loss to the government of $14,623, according to Dickinson’s office.

Under federal statutes, Dunn, Allen and Dupuis could face up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, plus fines of up to $500,000 and restitution orders. Couchman could get five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and an order of restitution. Sentencing hearings will follow presentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office, according to the release.