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Woman gets five years in Tampa tax fraud case

 
Published May 7, 2015

TAMPA — A Tampa woman was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday for filing fraudulent claims for tax refunds using stolen identities.

Rosa I. Martin, 27, was also ordered to pay $153,219 in restitution to the IRS.

Martin faced more prison time but a judge showed mercy after reading a confidential report that described Martin's formative years. Attorneys on both sides of the courtroom called her personal situation "horrific," one speaking of a childhood steeped in poverty, neglect and abuse.

"It's a very sad story," U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington said. "The years of trauma have manifested themselves in what we see today."

Under sentencing guidelines, Martin faced at least seven years in prison. Defense attorney Yvette Gray pushed for just over three years.

But the judge, who expressed empathy for victims of identity theft, said that wasn't a substantial enough penalty.