David X. Sullivan, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an eight-count indictment against George Davis Telford, Jr., a 36-year-old resident of Tolland. The charges include tax and fraud offenses.
According to the indictment, Telford allegedly created false trust entities to claim fraudulent refunds from the IRS for supposed tax overpayments. In 2019 and 2020, he reportedly filed five false federal tax returns seeking approximately $6.2 million in refunds. The IRS paid him one refund amounting to $564,758 for a return filed on behalf of “Telford Asset Family Trust” for the 2018 tax year.
Further allegations indicate that in 2022 and 2023, Telford engaged in defrauding the Connecticut Department of Labor (CT DOL) by claiming unemployment insurance benefits intended for displaced workers from an entity named “High Class Grads LLC,” which he claimed to own. Fraudulent claims were submitted under his name and two other individuals, falsely asserting they had been employed and laid off by High Class Grads. Consequently, CT DOL disbursed $48,792 in fraudulent benefits.
The indictment includes five counts of making and subscribing to a false tax return, each carrying a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment. Additionally, it charges Telford with three counts of wire fraud, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan emphasized that an indictment is not evidence of guilt; all charges are allegations until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Telford is currently held in state custody due to unrelated alleged criminal activities.
The investigation involves the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Susan Wines are prosecuting the case.
