A former assistant prosecutor from Athens County pleaded guilty for fraud last week in the Southern District Court of Ohio.
Michael A. Prisley has agreed to pay $250,000 in restitution to the IRS, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District Court of Ohio. From 2009 to 2015 Prisley committed tax fraud by submitting false claims for income tax refunds through the IRS, according to court documents. He plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit income tax funds.
Prisley was an attorney licensed to practice law in Ohio. From 2011 to 2014 he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Athens County. He was initially indicted in November.
According to the release, Prisley would provide the people working alongside him with false power of attorney forms so they could cash in the tax returns without the taxpayer’s knowledge. Tawnya Writesel, who was also named a defendant in the case, used names and other identifying information of people to claim them as dependents.
Prisley would then deposit the fraudulent tax refund checks into his bank accounts and withdrew the money to pay the others their shares, according to the release. He also received drugs from the others in exchange for cashing the fraudulent checks.
As a result of the false tax returns, Prisley must forfeit any property that was obtained from the proceeds he received from his crimes, including the money obtained from the offenses.
