Send a message on tax fraud

“I am a hypocrite. I am a liar. I am a cheater.”

- Doressa Braggs, describing herself at her sentencing hearing on tax cheating.

Doressa Braggs is the new standard for a detested criminal. Instead of using her accounting talents to help people, she used them to cheat the federal government – we, the taxpayers – out of $1.4 million. She filed 201 fraudulent tax returns in less than three years, in some cases using stolen Social Security numbers and falsified W-2’s to do so.

She charged hundreds of dollars to help others cheat the government, and she even brought a 16-year-old in to work at her criminal enterprise. When the government was investigating, friends and relatives circled the wagons and cursed at investigators to stymie them.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, she did all this while the government – we, the taxpayers – provided for her and her family. She lived in public housing, received food stamps and medical insurance and collected supplemental Social Security on behalf of her son.

Braggs will spend the next six years in prison, which doesn’t seem nearly enough punishment given her crimes. But let’s hope it’s harsh enough to deter other criminals who would follow in her footsteps.

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 7:51 PM with the headline "Send a message on tax fraud."