LOS ANGELES - A former employee with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services pleaded guilty today to stealing the identities of 64 people while working as a receptionist for the county and using the information to file fraudulent tax returns, according to officials with the Internal Revenue Service.
The identities she stole
resulted in a loss to the IRS of more than $357,000, according to federal
officials.
Veronica Niko, 36, of
Lancaster, pleaded guilty to one count of transfer/use of means of
identification to commit an unlawful activity.
Niko is facing up to 15
years in prison. She will be sentenced in June.
Niko, who formerly
worked as a receptionist in the Lancaster office of Public Social Services, used her position to
obtain the names and Social Security Numbers which were used to file the
fraudulent tax returns, according to IRS officials.
She had contact with
people who were applying for aid from the county agency.
Niko admitted giving the stolen identities her husband and co-defendant Thomas
Marshall, 37, of Lancaster, who has admitted his role in these crimes.
In addition to Niko,
four other defendants were charged in the scheme. Marshall pleaded guilty in
November to conspiracy and will be sentenced in March.
