Florida man not as dumb as you think. Gets $1M IRS refund from $2K in wages.
TAMPA At a time when millions of Americans are bemoaning their smaller-than-expected tax refunds, consider this:
Ramon Christopher Blanchett of Tampa once got a refund of $980,000. On a reported income of $18,497.
As with most things involving the IRS, this story does not end happily, at least for Blanchett, 29. But it does display a degree of ingenuity, as outlined in a federal forfeiture complaint recently filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa:
...
In February 2017, Blanchett electronically submitted a self-prepared income tax return listing his occupation as "free-lancer. '' He had W-2 forms from a Tampa nursing home and a Sizzling Platter restaurant in Murray, Utah.One W-2 showed $17,098 in wages and $1 million of federal income tax withholding. In reality, the complaint says, Blanchett was paid just $2,098 and no tax was withheld. The other W-2, which was accurate, showed $1,399 in income and no withholding.
https://www.tampabay.com/business/a-tampa-man-reported-an-income-of-18497-the-irs-sent-him-a-refund-check-for-980000-20190213/