MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee couple was recently sentenced to two years in prison for a $1.7 million tax refund scheme according to United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Matthew D. Krueger.

According to officials, Alberto Fernandez Ramirez, 51, and Ana Delia Dominguez, 45, who are married, committed their theft by fraudulently obtaining Individual Tax Identification (ITIN) numbers form the IRS. The couple obtained personal identifying documents of citizens in Mexico, and then used those documents to obtain ITINs in those individuals' names. Officials say they then used the ITINs to file false tax returns that often fraudulently claimed the Additional Child Tax Credit. The false returns caused the IRS to send out United States Treasury tax refund checks. 

From 2010 through 2017, Ramirez and Dominguez received over $1.7 million worth of refund checks due to their scheme, according to a news release. 

“The defendants pursued an outrageous and brazen scheme to steal taxpayer dollars, by obtaining ITINs in the names of foreign nationals and then using those ITINs to file bogus tax refund claims,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger. “I commend the excellent investigative work by the IRS to build this case.”

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. It is was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keith Alexander.

“We want everyone who files a tax return to take advantage of the deductions and credits to which they are entitled by law; however, no one is allowed to defraud the government and take what is not theirs”, stated Special Agent in Charge Kathy A.Enstrom of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “The IRS will continue to be relentless in our mission to stop these types of fraudulent tax refund schemes and will continue to bring criminals to justice.”