By Kevin Corcoran
[url]http://indystar.com/article.php?taxpm0528.html[/url]
[email protected]

May 28, 2002


Muhammad Arsalan Majid has never lived or worked in Indiana, but state investigators say he profited handsomely from a long-distance relationship with the Hoosier state.

In Marion Superior Court, they have accused the Gaithersburg, Md., man of filing 164 fraudulent Indiana tax returns in March and April.

 




They say he collected a total of $372,909 in unmerited refunds.

Investigators said returns were filed under variations of Majid's name using a host of Social Security numbers. All of the returns were filed electronically and requested direct deposit of refunds into bank accounts in Virginia and Maryland, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue.

Majid, on his W-2 forms, claimed to work for either Fannie Mae, a private company which backs mortgage loans, or Idea Integration Operations Corp.

The returns were filed from an Internet provider address registered to Fannie Mae during normal business hours, according to Charles E. Jerrell, who oversees criminal investigations for the revenue department.

State revenue officials uncovered Majid's scam after he used the same Social Security number twice.

"If he hadn't made one little mistake, who knows when he would have been caught," said Staci Schneider, a spokeswoman for Indiana Attorney General Stephen Carter.

State revenue officials say they routinely look for such multiple filings. Majid did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The state stands a good chance of recovering some or all of its money, however. Last week, Carter won a court order temporarily freezing Majid's assets.

Majid has at least $355,000 in four separate accounts, according to the attorney general's office. The attorney general's lawsuit is seeking restitution, $1.12 million in damages and payment of attorneys' fees and court costs.

Given the evidence against Majid, a court hearing Friday is likely to result in the asset freeze continuing until civil racketeering charges lodged against him are resolved. To prove racketeering, the attorney general's office must show Majid engaged in a related pattern of criminal acts.

Already, the court has found probable cause to believe Majid made false statements under oath, falsified documents, stole money from the state and invested the money he took.

The case also has been referred to the FBI for criminal investigation. An FBI official declined immediate comment.

Apparently there is some training given regarding living-off-the-land ( Of course that's living off the tax 'paying' U.S. citizens) for some of these people.
Credit card scams are also rampant.

Terrorists(along with other "immigrants") have already used our welfare and credit card systems against us. This is just par for the course.