The End of the Line for the Tulsa Nine

Diana Joubert (aka Diana Brice) of Tulsa, Oklahoma had the not-so-bright idea that submitting phony tax returns would be a good way to make a living. She worked with eight others, including Samuel Willis (owner of Willis Tax & Financial Services) to implement her scheme.

Unfortunately for her, somehow the investigation of an unrelated drug dealer that led to a corruption investigation at the Tulsa Police Department uncovered the scheme. The investigation discovered that Ms. Joubert’s mother, an employee of the Tulsa Police, stole records from the department. That information was apparently used in the tax fraud scheme. And it was a long-standing scheme—the fraud started in 2001.

Ms. Joubert was sentenced last August after being convicted of tax fraud to 37 months at ClubFed and has to make restitution of $133,571. Samuel Willis was also convicted and was also sentenced last August; he received six months of home detention and had to make $47,000 in restitution.

The final two defendants were sentenced last week. Larry Brice was ordered last week to make restitution of $11,551 and will serve five years’ probation after pleading guilty. James Joubert received five months at ClubFed and must make $5,543 in restitution.

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