Brenda Norman of McComb was sentenced Thursday  to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for knowingly conspiring with Yvonne Gary of Hermanville, to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by obtaining and aiding each other to obtain the payment of a fraudulent claim, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Norman, 55, was also ordered to repay $493,111.00 jointly and severally with Gary to the IRS. Gary, 36, was sentenced in September to serve 32 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

As part of the conspiracy, Norman obtained the name and Social Security numbers of elderly and disabled individuals she met through her religious organization, according to the release. After Norman obtained the names and numbers, she provided them to Gary. Gary would use the names and Social Security numbers to prepare and submit fraudulent federal income tax returns to the IRS, the released stated. The false income tax returns contained false wage and income information with fraudulent deductions and credits. The false tax returns claimed $493,111.00 in refunds.

“As filing season approaches, taxpayers should be admonished to seek out reputable tax return preparers,” Jerome R. McDuffie, special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Office for IRS Criminal Investigation, said. “Additionally, it is imperative that the public educate themselves on the schemes and farces perpetrated by individuals such as Brenda Norman and Yvonne Gary. These individuals preyed on the vulnerable and used their personal identifying information to make a quick buck for themselves. Educating the public about these schemes is a continuing focus for IRS – Criminal Investigation, and will go a long way in preventing future occurrences of fraud. It is also my hope that the sentence imposed in this case will serve to deter others from engaging in the same or similar criminal conduct.”

U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis praised the efforts of IRS- Criminal Investigation agents who investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Gilbert who prosecuted the case.