LANCASTER – Three Antelope Valley residents, one of which was a former state Department of Public Social Services employee have been charged with using stolen identities to file phony tax returns in which each claimed thousands of dollars in tax refunds, according to Internal Revenue Service officials.

Lancaster resident Veronica Niko, 35, a former social services employee, is named in a 17-count indictment charging a conspiracy to defraud the government by filing false federal income tax returns, according to IRS officials.

Thomas ``T-Mac'' Marshall, 36, of Lancaster and Michael Williams, 41, formerly of Littlerock, were arrested Thursday. Mike Niko, a 33-year-old resident of Carson, was also arrested. Authorities are looking for Mao Niko, 39, formerly of Gardena, in connection to the indictment.

 

Veronica Niko is scheduled to make her initial federal court appearance Feb. 8, IRS officials said.

According to the indictment, Veronica Niko stole names and social security numbers from the DPSS computer system and she and the others used the stolen identities file phony tax returns, which earned them up to $8,000 per return. The people whose identities were used did not authorize or know about the filings. If convicted of all charges, the defendants would face sentences ranging from 10 to 90 years in federal prison, according to the IRS.