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Hawaiʻi Couple Sentenced in Tax Refund Fraud Conspiracy

Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver of ʻEwa Beach were sentenced after pleading guilty to charges in a nationwide scheme, according to mauinow.com.

4 reports on this incident · first at Sep 4, 2026, 4:26 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 10, 2026, 10:52 p.m. ET
Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaiʻi, were on September 3, 2026, in the after pleading guilty to charges in a nationwide tax refund fraud conspiracy, according to mauinow.com. Braumuller-Hawver was to 16 months in prison and Hawver to 24 months, and the two were jointly and severally ordered to pay $182,438.37 in restitution, mauinow.com reported. The government alleged the two engaged in a fraudulent tax refund scheme by paying a promoter for fraudulent tax paperwork, filing an amended 2014 tax return with a fabricated IRS Form 1099-MISC falsely claiming a mortgage company paid Hawver $749,163 in income and withheld $424,163, prompting the IRS to issue a $192,845 refund they were not entitled to, then moving the money through shell bank accounts and sending frivolous correspondence and filings to thwart collection, according to mauinow.com. The charges included conspiring to defraud the IRS, filing a false tax return, and money laundering, mauinow.com reported. IRS Investigation investigated the case, according to mauinow.com. A separate superseding indictment unsealed in the District of Idaho charged an Idaho man and woman and five non-Idaho residents with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, making false claims and money laundering, according to an official record. The record states that from 2023 through 2024, Andrea and Kent Shannon of Kuna, Idaho, Monika Skinger of Chicago, Illinois, Sherita Chandler of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Saule Moshkanova of Roseville, California, Tiffany Nichols of Suwanee, Georgia, and Stacey Rice of Manteca, California, along with unindicted conspirators, allegedly conspired to commit wire fraud by assisting one another in fraudulently claiming refunds totaling more than $57 million by preparing and submitting false individual and trust tax returns and fictitious financial instruments to the IRS, and that the conspirators allegedly received more than $8 million from the IRS. Moshkanova, Nichols, and Rice were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Andrea and Kent Shannon, Skinger and Chandler were previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and Andrea and Kent Shannon were also charged with committing multiple acts of wire fraud, making false claims to the United States and engaging in money laundering by purchasing personal property such as luxury cars with their fraudulently obtained refunds, according to the record. If convicted, the conspirators face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge; Andrea and Kent Shannon face an additional maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each false claim charge; and Kent Shannon faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the money laundering charge, the record states. IRS Investigation is investigating the case, and Trial Attorney David F. Scollan of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittney Campbell for the District of Idaho are prosecuting, according to the record.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 10, 2026, 10:49 p.m. ET

    Hawaiʻi Couple Sentenced in Tax Refund Fraud Conspiracy

    Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaiʻi, were sentenced on September 3, 2026, in the District of Hawaiʻi for their roles in a nationwide tax refund fraud conspiracy, according to mauinow.com. Braumuller-Hawver was sentenced to 16 months in prison and Hawver to 24 months, and the two were jointly and severally ordered to pay $182,438.37 in restitution, the outlet reported.

    The charges were conspiring to defraud the IRS, filing a false tax return, and money laundering, mauinow.com reported. The government alleged the two paid a promoter for fraudulent tax paperwork, filed an amended 2014 tax return with a fabricated IRS Form 1099-MISC falsely claiming a mortgage company paid Hawver $749,163 in income and withheld $424,163, prompting the IRS to issue a $192,845 refund they were not entitled to, then moved the money through shell bank accounts and sent frivolous correspondence and filings to thwart collection, according to mauinow.com.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case, mauinow.com reported. The prosecuting offices were the National Fraud Enforcement Division and the USAO for the District of Idaho, according to an official record.

  2. Sep 10, 2026, 10:44 p.m. ET

    Hawaiʻi Couple Sentenced in Nationwide Tax Refund Fraud Conspiracy

    Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver, both of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaiʻi, were sentenced on September 3, 2026, in the District of Hawaiʻi for their roles in a nationwide tax refund fraud conspiracy, according to mauinow.com. Braumuller-Hawver was sentenced to 16 months in prison and Hawver to 24 months in prison, and the two were jointly and severally ordered to pay $182,438.37 in restitution, the outlet reported.

    The government alleged the couple engaged in a fraudulent tax refund scheme by paying a promoter for fraudulent tax paperwork, filing an amended 2014 tax return with a fabricated IRS Form 1099-MISC falsely claiming a mortgage company paid Hawver $749,163 in income and withheld $424,163, prompting the IRS to issue a $192,845 refund they were not entitled to, then moving the money through shell bank accounts and sending frivolous correspondence and filings to thwart collection, according to mauinow.com. The charges included conspiring to defraud the IRS, filing a false tax return, and money laundering, the outlet reported. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

    A superseding indictment unsealed in the District of Idaho charged an Idaho man and woman and five non-Idaho residents with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, making false claims and money laundering, according to an official record. The record states that from 2023 through 2024, the conspirators allegedly prepared and submitted false individual and trust tax returns and fictitious financial instruments to the IRS, fraudulently claiming refunds totaling more than $57 million and receiving more than $8 million from the IRS. The record states that if convicted, the conspirators face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, with additional maximum penalties for other charges. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

  3. Sep 4, 2026, 4:26 p.m. ETFirst report

    Seven Charged in $57M Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

    Federal prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment on September 3, 2026, charging seven people in connection with an alleged $57 million tax refund fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The indictment charges Andrea and Kent Shannon of Kuna, Idaho, Monika Skinger of Chicago, Illinois, Sherita Chandler of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Saule Moshkanova of Roseville, California, Tiffany Nichols of Suwanee, Georgia, and Stacey Rice of Manteca, California, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. From 2023 through 2024, they allegedly prepared and submitted false tax returns and fictitious financial instruments to the IRS, claiming refunds totaling more than $57 million and receiving more than $8 million.

    Andrea and Kent Shannon face additional charges of wire fraud, making false claims, and money laundering for allegedly using fraudulently obtained refunds to buy luxury cars. Moshkanova, Nichols, and Rice were each charged with one count of conspiracy; the others were previously charged. If convicted, the conspiracy charge carries up to 20 years in prison, with additional penalties for the other counts.

    Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division said, “As alleged, this group of fraudsters participated in a $57 million tax fraud scheme, filing over 100 fictitious instruments and ultimately receiving more than $8 million in taxpayer dollars from the IRS.” IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    The charges in the indictment are merely allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is ongoing, and no trial date has been set.

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Revision history

  1. Version 111 Sept 2026, 02:49current

    First published.

  2. Version 14 Sept 2026, 20:26current

    First published.

  3. Version 111 Sept 2026, 02:52current

    First published.

  4. Version 111 Sept 2026, 02:44current

    First published.

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