Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Who Steals From Homeless Youth? This Former Fresno IRS Worker.
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
December 13, 2019

Share

What kind of thief steals from homeless people and at-risk youth?
A federal jury in Fresno decided Thursday that 46-year-old former IRS employee Marcela Heredia is exactly that kind of thief.
Now, the former Fresno resident faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine after her convictions for wire fraud, identity theft, and making a false tax return.

Stole From Former Foster Children

According to court documents, Heredia, an IRS tax examiner at the time, took thousands of dollars in tax refunds that should have gone to homeless people. Her victims lived at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s Transitional Living Center, where she also worked 2009 through 2014.
Heredia stole the residents’ personal identities and filed tax returns that included false wage and withholding information. Many of the residents were former foster children.
According to testimony leading to her 2017 grand jury indictment, Heredia persuaded residents to hand over their personal information so she could prepare their tax returns. Later on, she would tell them they didn’t make enough money for a refund. Then Heredia directed the refunds to her bank account.

IRS: Heredia Abused ‘Position of Trust’

“Heredia misused her position of trust as a Youth Care Specialist to feed her greed by stealing the identities of the young homeless adults she cared for,” said Kareem Carter, Special Agent in Charge of the Oakland IRS Field Office.
“The IRS remains committed to the pursuit of identity theft and, together with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Tax Inspector General for Tax Administration, we will hold those who engage in similar conduct accountable.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Vincente A. Tennerelli prosecuted the case.
Heredia’s sentencing is scheduled for March 27, 2020.

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

UP NEXT

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

Major Storm Drops Record Rain, Downs Trees in Northern California After Devastation Further North

UP NEXT

Fresno County Men Arrested in Armed Robbery Near Sanger High, Sanger Academy

UP NEXT

Newsom Heads to Fresno, a County That Voted for Trump

UP NEXT

Conservative Professors and Students Are Beating CA Community Colleges in Court

UP NEXT

Suspect Arrested After Oakhurst Crime Spree Leaves K9 Injured

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

5 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

5 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

5 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

6 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

6 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

6 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

7 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

7 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

7 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

7 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

4 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

4 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

5 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
5 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

5 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

6 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
6 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend