A former Washington State Prison inmate who led a tax fraud scheme from prison, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 25 years in prison for illegal possession of firearms, explosives and ballistic vests, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Kenneth Randle Door, 44, has more than 30 felony convictions over the last three decades and was found to be an Armed Career Criminal by U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton. Door has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon for shooting at police officers, as well as multiple burglary convictions. At sentencing Judge Leighton said to Door, “You are quintessentially evil….you know no regard for community, for people who are weaker than you are.”
“For the last 30 years, this defendant has been on a continuous and relentless quest to wreak havoc on others and his community,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “He has left countless victims in his wake. Dozens of convictions and criminal sentences for burglary, theft, assault, harassment, high-speed car chases, unlawful firearms possession and more have failed to deter him from unlawful behavior. This lengthy sentence is needed to protect the public.”
According to records filed in the case, Door was arrested on November 9, 2011 while still on community supervision from a state conviction. Acting on a tip, law enforcement discovered DOOR had two firearms, two bullet-proof vests and an explosive device at his Tacoma home. One of the firearms had been stolen in a burglary. Door originally pleaded guilty in October 2013, then withdrew his plea and went to trial in March 2014. He was found guilty following a four day jury trial.
Door will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on September 15, 2014 for the separate criminal scheme involving tax fraud while incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla. According to records in that case, in 2008 and 2009, DOOR and other defendants conspired to file fake tax returns using the names and Social Security numbers of prison inmates to claim fraudulent refunds. Using the internet the conspirators identified companies that had declared bankruptcy and had recently closed. The conspirators created fake W-2 forms indicating wages paid and taxes withheld from the individuals whose identities they used. Virtually all of these individuals were prison inmates at the time who had not been employed by the now defunct companies. The conspirators filed at least 31 false tax returns, attempting to obtain more than $145,000 in refunds. The conspirators obtained nearly $72,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Door’s co-conspirators in the tax scheme have been sentenced to terms ranging from eight months to 33 months in prison.
The tax case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The weapons case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Washington State Department of Corrections. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Masada and Norman Barbosa.
