Duluth woman charged with multiple felonies over fraudulent tax returns

A Duluth woman was charged with numerous felonies over fraudulent tax returns and identity theft.

Jody Kay Vaughn-Bey was charged by the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office with 16 felony counts of filing false or fraudulent property tax returns and one felony count of identity theft.

According to the official complaint, Vaughn-Bey stole the identities of 16 people, forged signatures, and created false Certificates of Rent Paid (CRP) to file fraudulent property tax returns and get property tax refunds.

In total, Vaughn-Bey attempted to claim more than $36,000 in property tax refunds.

The people listed on the returns didn’t know about the filings and, in many cases, never lived at the addresses listed.

A Minnesota Department of Revenue investigator contacted the rental companies on the CRPs and found that the documents were illegitimate and several signatures were forged.

Each tax-related felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.