A Derwood woman was sentenced to a year in prison Thursday for her role in an embezzlement scheme to defraud Washington, D.C.’s tax office out of nearly $50 million, federal prosecutors said.
Marilyn Yoon, 40, received $526,130 in money stolen from the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, according to the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland.
Yoon, who pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of property obtained by fraud, was ordered to pay restitution and will be placed on three years of probation following her sentence.
Prosecutors said Yoon received $251,130 in cash gifts from Harriette Walters, 52, a tax office worker who stole from the city through fake property tax refunds and then funneled the money to friends and relatives.
Walters also gave Yoon a fraudulent D.C. government check for $275,000 in May 2007.
Yoon first met Walters while working as a sales consultant at a high-end leather goods store about eight years ago. She then worked as a personal shopper at a luxury department store in Tysons Corner, Va., where Walters frequently shopped and the two became friends.
Walters pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is scheduled for sentencing in March.
Federal prosecutors have identified seven other individuals who participated in the scheme, including Walters’ niece and a former Internal Revenue Service employee.
