Former Detroit Rapper Sentenced To Prison For $28 Million Tax Fraud Scheme

A former Detroit rapper was sentenced to more than four years in prison for a $28 million tax fraud scheme that cheated the Internal Revenue Service and state treasuries of six states.

United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced on Friday that Sameerah Marrell, who also uses aliases such as Sameerah Pickett, Sameerah Anderson, Loren Boyd, and Crème, was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison with three years of supervised release by Judge Linda V. Parker. The 42-year-old is also on the hook for paying back more than $7 million in restitution.

According to federal authorities, Marrell successfully stole around $8.5 million. The amount she must repay has been reduced by money, jewelry, and cars seized by the federal government and states during the course of the investigation. 

State records show that Marrell had registered six luxury vehicles estimated to be worth about $500,000 collectively. They include two Bentleys, a Porsche, a Mercedes-Benz, a Range Rover, and a Cadillac Escalade.

Court records show Marrell and her accomplices defrauded the IRS and State Treasury Departments of Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Connecticut, and Colorado between 2014 and April 2022. They filed 122 fraudulent tax returns for over $13 million from the IRS and over $14 million from the states.

The IRS and states paid about $8.5 million combined before discovering the bogus refunds. 

Marell pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud, and committing an offense while on bond back in January. Some of her crimes occurred after she was arrested and charged with making false claims to the IRS, among other charges.

“Ms. Marrell committed an astonishing amount of fraud against federal and state agencies. She also proved herself incorrigible, continuing her scams even after her initial arrest,” according to a news release from the DOJ. “We hope that today’s sentence will deter both Ms. Marrell and anyone else who seeks to steal public funds for private gain.”

Marrell was once a member of the female rap duo Deuces Wild. Marrell’s rapping partner, Noelle Brown, was also charged. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government in September. 

The duo gained some notoriety for their music and began working on their debut album, Runway Music, in 2010. The project included songs titled “Cash,” “Bums,” and “Fly Girls.”