RALEIGH – Another Fayetteville resident pleaded guilty in Wake County Court to obtaining property by false pretenses Friday in a fraudulent income tax return scheme uncovered by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

Robert Harrington, 47, of 3121 Amberjack Road, Fayetteville, entered a guilty plea for filing a fraudulent North Carolina individual income tax return for the calendar year 2002. The return was based on a fictitious wage and tax statement and claimed a refund of taxes withheld by Smithfield Packing Co. Harrington was not employed by Smithfield Packing Co. and did not have taxes withheld by the company.

Wake County District Court Judge Jane P. Gray sentenced Harrington to a nine-month minimum, 11-month maximum prison term. The sentence was suspended and he was placed on supervised probation for 18 months. He was ordered to serve 10 weekends in jail as a special condition of probation. He was further ordered to pay a $100 criminal fine and $132 in restitution to the Department of Revenue.

The charge against Harrington resulted from an investigation by special agents with the Department's Criminal Investigations Division in Raleigh. The investigation into the filing of fraudulent income tax returns by local individuals is continuing and additional arrests are likely.

Last modified on: 10/31/07 03:43:50 PM.