Tampa woman charged in crackdown on tax fraud

TAMPA — Prosecutors announced the federal indictment Tuesday of a Tampa woman on tax fraud charges.

Belinda Brooks, 46, is accused of falsifying her own tax returns in 2008 and 2009 to receive an unearned refund, and also stealing the identities of others to file fake tax returns.

She is charged with one count of filing a false tax return, six counts of theft of government property, six counts of aggravated identity theft, three counts of making false claims, and three counts of identity theft.

The indictment is part of "Operation Rainmaker," an effort among federal agencies and local law enforcement to go after tax fraud in the Tampa Bay area.