A Williamstown man was sentenced to 48 months in prison late last month for filing false claims against the IRS, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Christian L. Whittaker, 43, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn, who imposed his sentence on Jan. 30 in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Whittaker “knowingly and willfully prepared, electronically signed, and filed with the IRS false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns (Forms 1040) for the tax years 2016 to 2019.”
Whittaker claimed that a fake business had paid him significant wages but had substantial losses. Based on those false claims, the IRS paid more than $300,000 in refunds to Whittaker, with more than $80,000 garnished to pay past debts, Sellinger reported.
In addition to his prison term, Whittaker was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $390,682.