A federal grand jury has indicted a Virginia man, Omini Tete Riman, on charges of obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file tax returns, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Riman, from Woodbridge, Virginia, is facing multiple charges related to false tax filings and attempts to obstruct IRS collection efforts, according to the department.
The Justice Department states that Riman, who worked as an information technology specialist, filed false federal tax returns for the years 2013 and 2014. In these returns, he falsely claimed nearly $2 million in income and alleged that almost $1 million had been withheld in taxes. Based on these false claims, Riman sought nearly $400,000 in refunds, which the IRS issued.
The indictment further outlines that, starting in 2016, after the IRS informed Riman of his outstanding liabilities, the agency took steps to recover the funds. However, Riman allegedly took several actions to obstruct the IRS’s collection efforts, including transferring property to a trust, opening accounts in the trust’s name, and directing his wages to be deposited into those accounts.
Additionally, Riman allegedly submitted fraudulent documents to the IRS, including materials suggesting that an IRS employee owed him money and that the debt had been canceled, which could have increased the employee’s tax burden.
For tax years 2018 through 2023, the department stated that Riman willfully failed to timely file returns, despite being aware of his legal obligation to do so.
When Riman learned he was the subject of a grand jury investigation in 2025, he allegedly filed false returns for 2017 through 2020, claiming no income during those years.
If convicted, Riman faces up to three years in prison for each count of obstruction and up to one year for each failure-to-file charge, according to the Justice Department.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
