According to officials, four people were taken into custody on Thursday, June 26, on suspicion of orchestrating a COVID-19 tax scam worth at least $93 million.
Two are also charged with shooting the scheme’s leader in an attempt to prevent him from speaking to police.
Joyce Johnson, 55, of Victorville; Toriano Knox, 55, of Los Angeles; Kenya Jones, 46, of Compton; and Kristerpher Turner, 52, of Los Angeles were all accused by a federal grand jury earlier this month with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and conspiracy to submit fraudulent claims.
Prosecutors claim that Knox and Jones shot Turner, the alleged leader, many times in an attempt to prevent him from speaking with law officials. They were also charged with attempted murder and firearms.
The FBI claims that Turner operated a tax scam in which individuals would file fictitious forms on behalf of their firms, clients’ companies, and fictitious corporations in order to receive credits that the government was supposed to give to companies that compensated workers who were unable to work during the pandemic.
According to FBI investigators, Turner is suspected of having recruiters, such as Knox and Jones, bring in clients, including friends, family, and love relationships.
According to the FBI, the clients’ personal information was utilized to fabricate tax returns and businesses, while other clients provided details on already-existing companies to help co-conspirators submit false tax returns.
After receiving cheques from the US Treasury, participants would deposit them into bank accounts. According to the prosecution, Turner forced participants to give 20% to 40% of the check to him and his accomplices.
According to investigators, the conspirators filed false forms for at least 148 businesses between June 2020 and December 2024, causing the IRS to issue checks totaling at least $93 million.
Prosecutors claim that in August 2023, after learning that the IRS was conducting investigations, Knox, Jones, and other others shot Turner many times at a Gardena office park out of fear that he might testify to the police.
Turner is disabled but lived.
For each mail fraud offense, the defendants could receive a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison; Knox and Jones could receive life in prison if found guilty as charged.
