Craigslist ad seeking kids to list on tax returns lands Missouri man in prison
A Missouri man who turned to Craigslist to find children to list as dependents on his tax returns has been sentenced to one year in federal prison.
Raheem L. McClain, 37, of Ozark, pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year to filing false tax returns in multiple years for himself and his girlfriend.
According to court documents, 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 posted.
In February 2015, prosecutors say, he filed federal tax returns for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The returns named three dependents with Social Security numbers. On one return, he listed two sons and one daughter. In the two others, he listed one son and two daughters, according to court documents.
At his sentencing this week, McClain was also ordered to pay $23,800 in restitution.
Tony Rizzo: 816-234-4435, @trizzkc
This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Craigslist ad seeking kids to list on tax returns lands Missouri man in prison."