South Texas family charged in tax scheme

Members of South Texas family charged with filing hundreds of false tax claims

Published On: Feb 01 2013 12:33:00 PM CST
BROWNSVILLE, Texas -

Federal prosecutors say members of a South Texas family collected more than $750,000 in refunds by filing false tax claims using the names of dead people.

About 340 claims were filed that used the name, Social Security number and date of birth for people who had died. The information was found online.

Judy Lynn McCune appeared in court Friday on a charge of aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say she recruited her mother, sister and two sons in a scheme that collected $763,000.

Prosecutors contend McCune's mother prepared and filed the federal returns, while her sister and sons received the refund checks. They face a variety of charges.

The defendants each face a term of at least 10 years.

An attorney for McCune could not be found in court records online.