DETROIT (AP) — Two women who formed a Detroit-area rap duo, Deuces Wild, are accused of stealing millions of dollars through fraudulent tax returns.
Sameerah Marrel, known as “Ms. Creme,” and Noelle Brown, known as “Nikki Brown,” were charged with many crimes in a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday.
The Internal Revenue Service paid $5.5 million on $13.7 million in bogus claims from 2013-17, according to the government.
“The returns claimed that the IRS had withheld large amounts of income tax from the trusts purportedly filing the returns, and that those trusts were therefore entitled to large refunds of the excess income tax withheld,” agent Tyler Goodnight said in an affidavit.
But it was false, he said.
Marrel appeared in court Wednesday and was released on bond. Her attorney, Andrew Densemo, said she wasn’t a risk to the community. Brown hasn’t been arrested yet.
The government said luxury vehicles were registered to Marrel, including two Bentleys, a Porsche and a Mercedes-Benz, The Detroit News reported.
The pair’s songs and videos haven’t received much attention on YouTube, the newspaper said.