HOME DETENTION FOR TAX CHEAT

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Nicole J.Martin, age 29, currently residing on Radecke Avenue in Baltimore, was sentenced on April 25 for her role in a conspiracy to file fraudulent tax returns and receive stolen refunds. On the charge of Conspiracy to File False Information on State Tax Returns, Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Philip T. Caroom imposed a sentence of five years to the Division of Correction, suspending all but 90 days to be served in home detention. Nicole Martin is allowed out of the house only to seek employment, work, and go to doctors appointments. The Court placed Martin on five years supervised probation with the special conditions that she pay $3, 245.50 in restitution to the Office of the Comptroller, complete 80 hours of community service, and cooperate with any evaluation and treatment directed in the future by her probation agent. Judge Caroom imposed a 5-year consecutive sentence on the felony theft charge, and suspended the entire sentence.

Nicole Martin was part of a four- person theft scheme to file fraudulent 2002 State tax returns in order to get the State refunds that were issued as a result of the false returns. Nicole Martin and co-defendant Barbara Williams actually prepared and filed a number of fraudulent State tax returns. Nicole Martin solicited her sister Sabrina and her close friend, Lachelle Lee, to join the scheme by agreeing to use their bank accounts to receive the tax refunds generated by the fake returns.

The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from the Maryland Office of the Comptroller and Maryland State Police.

#