Tax Scam: H&R Block Franchise Owner Sentenced for Stealing Clients' Information

A Virginia H&R Block franchise owner has been sentenced to prison for multiple counts of aggravated identity theft.

Sherry Kelley, 41, of Exmore was sentenced on Jan. 20 for taking personal information from her clients without their knowledge. While operating four of the tax preparation stores in Belle Haven, Onley, Melfa, and Cheriton on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Kelley accessed and misused about 20 tax clients’ identity information, according to a news release.

Kelley electronically applied for and obtained 30 lines of credit and forged account paperwork signatures over three years. The news release continues to say that she used the debit cards obtained through the credit lines to make purchases and ATM withdrawals adding up to thousands of dollars. Kelley later would repay the amounts taken.

Kelley was indicted in June on 10 counts of aggravated identity theft and 10 counts of using others’ social security numbers. She pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, which was one count of the charges in the indictment.

The former owner was sentenced to two years in prison followed by one year of supervised release.

More Police News in Ashburn:

Road Rage Leads To Gunfire on Route 7

Sterling Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Oxycodone

Driver in Hospital After Leesburg Courthouse Crash

Image via Shutterstock