A Philadelphia man has been charged with attempting to defraud the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue out of more than $1 million through a scheme involving stolen bank account information, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Tuesday.
Kaahir Teagle, 22, faces multiple felony charges, including theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, identity theft, and access device fraud. Investigators say Teagle used stolen bank details to make electronic deposits into his state tax account, leading to the issuance of six fraudulent tax refund checks. Four of those checks, totaling $13,030.65, were successfully cashed before the scheme was discovered.
“This defendant is not only accused of stealing bank account information from unsuspecting individuals, but also trying to defraud the state income tax system, which puts all tax-paying Pennsylvanians at risk,” Attorney General Henry said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue flagged Teagle’s 2021 tax return as fraudulent, prompting an investigation by the Attorney General’s Financial Crime Section. Authorities found that Teagle submitted 33 fake electronic fund transfers as credits to his tax account between May and July 2022.
Teagle has been arraigned, and his bail was set at $100,000. Further legal proceedings are pending.