Pecos Woman Pleads Guilty to IRS Fraud Scheme

ALBUQUERQUE - A Pecos woman pleaded guilty to impersonating an IRS agent in order to defraud a victim out of more than $150,000.

In her plea agreement, Sandra Vega, 48, admitted that between 2018 and March 2026, she posed as an Internal Revenue Agent in order to defraud John Doe by convincing him that he would receive a large sum of money from the IRS if he first paid a variety of fees and deposits totaling at least $150,000. The victim provided Vega with money with the expectation that Vega would transmit the money to the IRS. Vega did not send any of the victim's money to the IRS. Instead, Vega spent all of the victim's money on personal expenses.

Vega pleaded guilty to five counts, including four counts of wire fraud and one count of false impersonation of a federal employee. At sentencing, Vega faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution to the victim in an amount determined by the court.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown of IRS Criminal Investigation's Phoenix Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated this case with the assistance of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.