Inmates Received the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit!

My client sent an article to me from USA TODAYtax credit!
that is very interesting information about the $8,000The IRS claims they are moving quickly to recapture
first time buyer tax credit and it's just really discerningcredits paid to inmates and block fraudulent claims.
and pathetic actually. In the article it stated that the IRSThere are of course civil penalties and criminal
tracked thousands of fraud cases and is seekingprosecution for anyone that fraudulently claims the first
tighter control. Apparently, nearly 1,300 prison inmates,time home buyer tax credit. This was just amazing
including 241 serving life sentences, defrauded theinformation to me in that a buyer is supposed to have
government of nearly $9.1 million in first time homedocumentation and proof of the purchase and such.
buyer tax credits, even though they were incarceratedAlthough, let's face it, I am sure it is not that hard to
at the time they claimed to have purchased a home.falsify those documents to look like a legitimate
To top it off, these filings were not joint returns, so itpurchase.
can't even be claimed that a spouse made theIt is so sad that a program designed to stimulate the
purchase.economy and housing market and get things rolling is
The article also stated that 2,555 tax payers receivedtaken advantage of and millions of dollars are basically
$17.6 million in the first time buyer tax credit for homesstolen as a result. A program designed to be a big
purchased before the allotted dates set by this law.benefit to consumers and the economy then loses
Also, 10,282 taxpayers received tax credits for homesmillions of dollars to fraudulent claims, plus whatever
that were used by other taxpayers to collect theamount of money it costs to recapture and prosecute
same tax credit. In one case, 67 taxpayers used thethe criminals.
exact same home to claim the first time home buyer