Tampa man sentenced to prison for role in processing fake tax returns

A Tampa man was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison because of his role in paying out funds from fraudulent tax income returns, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Rida Saed, of Tampa, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and was ordered by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich to pay nearly $52,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, according to the release.

Saed, along with others, processed debit cards at the store Three Brothers Market in St. Petersburg, knowing that the cards contained proceeds from fraudulent income tax returns, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, citing court documents.

The cards were processed through a third-party credit processor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Those who processed the cards, including Saed, kept a portion of the proceeds for their services and returned most of the money to undercover agents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The restitution amount of $51,838 represents the total amount of fees that Saed and the others kept from the transactions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Tampa man sentenced to prison for role in processing fake tax returns."