The two were sentenced in a scheme in which 12 other defendants have been sentenced to probation or are awaiting such sentencing, while six more individuals will be admitted into New Jersey’s Pre-Trial Intervention Program.
Tetterton and Hodges tried to steal more than $400,000 by filing Hawaii income tax returns. However, with some filings denied, they received only $246.667 in refunds. She filed more than 60 Hawaii tax returns using others’ identities and is responsible for full restitution for the Hawaii refunds while others are responsible only for the amounts each individual received.
Tetterton pleaded guilty in April to charges of money laundering and trafficking in personal identifying information She also pleaded guilty to theft by deception and misconduct by a corporate official in connection with a second case of tax fraud against the state of New Jersey. Tetterton faces a maximum concurrent term of five years on the New Jersey charges and must pay $56,592 in restitution to the State of New Jersey, Division of Taxation, in the amount of $56,592 and $22,542.to the Internal Revenue Service.
Hodges pled guilty to a single conspiracy charge. In the same case, Reginald Haines, 51, of Neptune, N.J., was sentenced to three year after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy.
Constantine Kunaka, 27, of Jersey City, N.J., faces a recommended three-year prison sentence of three years. In a related investigation, Kunaka pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving stolen property and filing fraudulent New Jersey tax returns and must pay $238,693 in restitution to New Jersey.