A Tampa man reported an income of $18,497. The IRS sent him a refund check for $980,000

The IRS has seized a Lexus and $919,251 from a Tampa man who got a $980,000 refund after filing a tax return that falsely showed $1 million in federal income tax withholding.

TAMPA — At a time when millions of Americans are bemoaning their smaller-than-expected tax refunds, consider this:

Ramon Christopher Blanchett of Tampa once got a refund of $980,000. On a reported income of $18,497.

As with most things involving the IRS, this story does not end happily, at least for Blanchett, 29. But it does display a degree of ingenuity, as outlined in a federal forfeiture complaint recently filed in U.S. District Court in Tampa:

In February 2017, Blanchett electronically submitted a self-prepared income tax return listing his occupation as "free-lancer. '' He had W-2 forms from a Tampa nursing home and a Sizzling Platter restaurant in Murray, Utah.One W-2 showed $17,098 in wages and $1 million of federal income tax withholding. In reality, the complaint says, Blanchett was paid just $2,098 and no tax was withheld. The other W-2, which was accurate, showed $1,399 in income and no withholding.

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