A Fort Worth jury found four relatives guilty for running a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme that sought more than $8.5 million in bogus refunds, with the defendants actually collecting over $1.7 million and spending the proceeds on luxury items and real estate.
A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas, convicted four family members for their roles in a complex tax refund fraud. The scheme used trust names and forged documents to pursue refunds the trusts were not entitled to receive, and prosecutors say the defendants moved money among themselves to hide the proceeds.
Court filings identify the defendants as David Hunt of Arlington, his twin sons Brandon and Baylon Hunt of Arlington, and their half-brother Corey Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi. According to the records, the group filed returns in names of purported trusts that sought over $8.5 million in refunds the trusts had no right to claim.
Prosecutors say Brandon Hunt also filed a false tax return in his own name, and both Brandon and Baylon submitted fabricated documents to the IRS. Those filings allegedly included falsified financial instruments and altered money orders, some provided in response to IRS efforts to collect fraudulently obtained refunds.
The defendants continued submitting false returns even after receiving warning letters from the IRS about their filings, according to the court documents. Collectively, the scheme resulted in the defendants receiving more than $1.7 million from the IRS, and prosecutors say the money was diverted into purchases and transfers among the conspirators.
Investigators traced spending to luxury goods, home furnishings, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade, and a house in Mississippi, a pattern that prosecutors say shows deliberate enrichment rather than an accounting error. The records describe transfers among the defendants that distributed the fraud proceeds throughout the family network.
All four defendants were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States. In addition, David Hunt, Brandon Hunt, and Corey Burt were found guilty on multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, while Baylon Hunt was acquitted on two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
“Fraudulent tax schemes such as this rob the federal fisc and the American taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This verdict rightly held all four defendants accountable for their roles in the criminal conduct – a result garnered by the diligent work of IRS-CI, the Tax Section of DOJ’s Criminal Division, and those in my office to bring these individuals to justice.”
Sentencing is set for March 26, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman of the Northern District of Texas. The defendants face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to three years on each false tax return count, along with potential fines, restitution, and supervised release terms.
“Let this verdict serve as a warning: frivolous tax arguments have no merit and will not shield anyone from prosecution,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office. “Those who attempt to misuse the tax system through baseless claims and deceptive filings not only undermine public trust, but also face serious legal consequences. The women and men of IRS-CI remain steadfast in our mission to protect the integrity of the tax system and pursue those who seek to defraud it.”
IRS Criminal Investigation led the probe, and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted in locating and arresting three defendants who fled during trial. Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz from the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant United States Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas handled the prosecution.
