A Texas family’s effort to turn fake trusts into legitimate tax refunds ended with federal prison sentences, concluding a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that prosecutors say continued despite multiple warnings from the IRS.

Following a jury trial in Fort Worth in December 2025, four family members were convicted of participating in a scheme to file false tax returns in the names of purported trusts they controlled. This week, three of those defendants were sentenced to prison time for their roles in the conspiracy.

According to the indictment, the scheme dates back to at least 2016 and involved the creation and use of multiple alleged trusts, including Bravi El Bey Trust, Vaga El Bey Trust, DNB Industries Trust, Linette Trust, and Ezekiel Bey Trust. Each defendant was associated with a specific trust, often serving as the named trustee.

The scheme itself was a family affair involving David Hunt, his twin sons Brandon Hunt and Baylon Hunt, and Corey Burt, who was the half-brother to the twins (David Hunt’s son from a different relationship).

Prosecutors allege the family created the appearance of legitimate entities by filing assumed name certificates and obtaining Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) from the IRS. They then used those entities to file Forms 1041 (trust income tax returns) and 1041-NR (non-resident trust income tax returns), claiming refunds based on false representations of income, withholding, and........

© Forbes