State Says Tax Recidivist Just Won’t Quit

MANHATTAN (CN) - A 66-year-old recidivist has been charged a fourth time with tax fraud - and prosecutors say his second conviction came from using Social Security numbers he obtained while he was in prison for his first conviction.

Myles Rappaport and four others are charged with operating a rapid tax refund scheme, using bogus W-2 forms to try to get tax refunds.

The men allegedly took the phony W-2s to tax preparers, including Jackson Hewitt, who would use the data to give rapid refunds, or loans against expected refunds. The preparer would be out the money when the information proved false.

State prosecutors say the defendants never got any money.

Charged with Rappaport were Aaron Moshel, 31; Tarmaus Dawson, 23; Artic Rogers, 24; and Christian Mercado.

The district attorney's office said Rappaport was convicted of similar tax scam in 2006 and sentenced to 2 to four 4 in state prison after being convicted of similar, federal charges in 1992 and 2001. In his second federal conviction, Rappaport used Social Security numbers he obtained while in prison on his first federal conviction.

Moshel, Dawson, Rogers and Mercado were arraigned Thursday in criminal court and released on their own recognizance. They are scheduled to appear in court again on April 21. Rappaport, who collapsed Thursday just before he was to be arraigned on forgery and other charges, was hospitalized awaiting arraignment.

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