Missouri man is accused of seeking kids on Craiglist to claim on tax returns
A Missouri man who allegedly advertised online for children he could claim as dependents on his tax returns has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Raheem L. McClain, 37, of Ozark, was arrested Tuesday and made his initial appearance in federal court in Springfield, where he was charged with filing false tax returns.
According to prosecutors, McClain placed an ad on Craigslist in January 2015 that read, “Wanted: kids to claim on income taxes — $750.”
“If you have some kids you aren’t claiming, I will pay you $750 each to claim them on my income tax,” he allegedly posted.
In February 2015, prosecutors say, McClain filed federal tax returns for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The returns named three dependents with Social Security numbers. But on one return, he listed two sons and one daughter. In the two others, he listed one son and two daughters, according to the allegations.
Tony Rizzo: 816-234-4435, @trizzkc
This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Missouri man is accused of seeking kids on Craiglist to claim on tax returns."