3 plead guilty to federal charges

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A Warren Township man and a Columbus couple face up to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $1 million after they pleaded guilty to making false claims against the federal government, aggravated identity theft and bank fraud.

Entering their pleas recently in federal court in Columbus were Daniel M. Bossard, 32, of Warren Township, and Delmar R. Williams, 38, and Kenyatta E. Williams, 37, both of Columbus. The Williamses are formerly from the Warren area.

The charges pertain to a scheme to file false claims for fraudulent federal income-tax refunds.

The three were charged with using Social Security numbers from a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website to file more than 100 false income-tax returns and other frauds totaling $600,000 in 2006 and 2007.

Bossard pleaded guilty Friday, and the Williamses pleaded guilty Sept. 1.

The trio used some of the returns to apply for refund- anticipation loans with federally insured banks, the IRS said. They then had the loan money deposited into a bank account in the name of two victims and then paid out to pre-paid debit cards the trio cashed in Columbus, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the IRS added.

Bossard used a vacant address in a Tod Avenue Southwest mobile-home park to collect some of the proceeds of the theft, the IRS said.

No sentencing date has been set for any of the defendants.

Bossard and Delmar Williams are free on their own recognizance pending sentencing, and Kenyatta Williams, who authorities believe was the group’s leader, remains jailed pending sentencing.

After learning of the investigation of this case, the SEC removed personal identifying information from its website, the IRS said.