Federal Jury Convicts Kirkwood Woman in Tax Fraud Case

A Kirkwood woman was convicted by a federal court jury of tax fraud-related charges this week, using claims of "mumbo jumbo" to defend her actions, according to a media report on the case.

Nancy Cicero, 69, was convicted of four felony counts of filing false claims with the IRS. The court has not set a date for sentencing. She could face up to 20 years in prison and fines totaling $1 million.

According to a report on the case in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cicero lied on four years worth of tax returns and was "using fake 1099 forms to seek refunds for taxes she claimed to have paid on bond income."

The newspaper said she represented herself in the trial, using a "widely discredited theory that claims those with knowledge of the proper procedures can tap into hundreds of millions of dollars held in trust in their names by the U.S. government."

A statement from federal prosecutors said Cicero falsely claimed more than $3 million in refunds.

Her defense was "a lot of mumbo jumbo that makes no sense,” Special Agent Stacy Decker of the Internal Revenue Service said in testimony reported by the Post-Dispatch. "Federal courts have consistently ruled that the arguments raised by you are frivolous."