SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman faces criminal charges after investigators say she falsely claimed she worked both in movie producing and as a licensed mental health worker in order to get tax exemptions.
Kristi Kay Rochester, 33, address unknown, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with theft by deception, a second-degree felony, and failing to render a proper tax return, a third-degree felony.
In her tax return filed for last year, Rochester claimed certain tax credits, including receiving income in the motion picture production industry and also being a licensed mental health worker, according to charging documents.
“These particular employment classifications are unique because they both have unique allowed tax credits for eligible individuals. Eligibility requires certification issued by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing for mental health practitioners, and a credit is also available for qualifying individuals employed in movie production through a process which entails certification and approval by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development,” the Utah Attorney General’s Office wrote in the charges.
However, when investigators looked into her tax credit claims, they found “no documentation or proof that Rochester was eligible as a motion picture production owner or a licensed mental health practitioner,” the charges state.
Rochester received a tax refund of $8,710, which she allegedly cashed. But when the Utah Tax Commission disputed the check and revoked it, the business where she cashed it asked for the money back, according to the charges.
She returned the funds, according to court documents. But then took the rejected check to another bank and cashed it again, the charges state.
Investigators say they have had no contact with Rochester since February “and have no address information to locate her.”