From Beans to a Billion Behind Bars

Commentary by: Larry Benson

We always hear crazy stories about how people landed in prison.  Take one New York resident, for example, who was imprisoned first at the age of 18 and sentenced for possession of stolen property.  So what exactly did this young man steal?  A truck full of canned beans off a street in Buffalo – yes…you read that right.  (This is great – theft of a truckload of beans in Buffalo. Where the heck do you fence a truck load of beans?  With that much gas, this kid could’ve become the next major domestic supplier.)  So how did a bean thief find himself responsible for false tax refund claims of up to nearly $1 billion?

It’s like a “rags to riches” story – except substitute beans for rags and skip the happy ending.  According to TPMMuckeracker.com, one New York inmate has discovered that it does not pay to file false tax refunds from prison.  Here’s the basic story:  in 2007, he filed a false tax return, claiming he had earned $500k during 2006 – except he was incarcerated at that time and couldn’t have been gainfully employed.  (Oops.)  The IRS then sent the inmate a refund check in the amount of $327,456 – c/o the Camp Gabriels Correction Facility in Upstate New York.  (Apparently they were playing Jail House Rock that day!)  Employees of the State Department of Corrections intercepted the mail, and reported the suspicious refund as fraud to the IRS, claiming him a “Frivolous Filer.”  But the inmate wasn’t done yet.  He went on to file 11 more false returns, even claiming refunds as high as $2 million.  His fame spread through the jail, and he assisted other inmates with filing false refund claims.  (That’s Professor to you!)  It was even recorded that he assisted one fellow inmate in filing a tax refund claiming $60 million; he was paid in stamps and canned food for his services.  (What an awesome ROI on that deal)

So how did a bean thief become a billion-dollar idea man?  His attorney’s claim he borrowed the idea from an article on the website, “The America’s Bulletin,” a sovereign citizen website that offers “Prison Packets” – instructions for prisoners to free themselves from jail.  (Obviously this packet is not working so well for our inmate.)  His sentencing is scheduled for May, where he faces up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250k per each count.