Former IRS worker gets almost six years for theft

Teresa Fleming, who has sometimes used the name Tiffany Boone, also was ordered to pay $420,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and serve two years supervised probation after getting out of prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Breen sentenced Fleming to 70 months behind bars.

Fleming pleaded guilty in February to charges of theft, money laundering and the illegal use of a Social Security number.

She was one of six people indicted last year on charges of stealing more than $350,000 in tax refunds and trying to get away with almost $155,000 more.

Fleming has also pleaded guilty to filing false claims against the government totaling almost $61,000.

Fleming, a former data transcriber for the IRS, was accused of altering tax returns so refunds would be deposited in bank accounts other than those belonging to the rightful recipients.

Her co-defendants have also pleaded guilty to federal offenses and have drawn sentences ranging from three years probation to four years in prison.