A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced two brothers who filed false tax returns for members of a polygamous sect on the Utah-Arizona line to two years in prison.
Alma T. and Denver T. Barlow, formerly of Hildale, filed over 700 false tax returns for themselves and members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, according to prosecutors. The brothers had pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to file false claims.
In a news release announcing the sentencing Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber said the defendants claimed over $9.7 million in false refunds for hundreds of clients who didn’t know Alma and Denver Barlow were not legitimate tax preparers.