A U.S. Internal Revenue Service investigator is expected to be a “fact witness” when an American Samoan woman is sentenced in September this year for using tax information from local residents to fraudulently obtain more than $200,000 in federal government tax refund checks, according to new documents filed with the federal court in Anchorage, Alaska.

Pepe Anetipa, 58, was charged under a 28 count indictment handed down last year for making false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims against the government. Federal prosecutors allege that Anetipa filed falsified tax returns claiming total refunds of more than $200,000.

The defendant, who now resides in Kent, Washington, appeared at the Anchorage federal court in June this year and pled guilty to all charges. Federal prosecutor Thomas C. Bradley told Samoa News that the defendant pled guilty to 28 felony charges of filing false claims for tax refunds with the U.S. government.

She was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 4 this year, but Bradley filed a motion last week seeking to move forward the sentencing date, saying that IRS Special Agent Tonya Rhame is the case agent and “is an expected fact witness” at sentencing. Further, Rhame has a planned trip and is scheduled to depart Anchorage on Sept. 4th.

The parties have also requested that at least three hours be scheduled for the hearing, as both the government and the defendant plan to “present evidence relating to relevant conduct and sentencing factors,” said Bradley, who noted that the defense attorney does not oppose the request.

Last Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason  granted the prosecutor’s motion and set sentencing for Sept. 1 from 9a.m. to 10a.m., to resume later that day at 3p.m.

Bradley told Samoa News that while the defendant admitted to receiving refunds totaling $208,859, the government will argue that the total amount was over $2 million.

The federal charges against Anetipa occurred during the time she was living and operating a tax preparation business in Alaska. She had moved from American Samoa to Alaska in July 2011 and by February the following year, had started her tax preparation business.

The 28 counts against the defendant are for the 28 people from American Samoa for which she had prepared and filed false tax returns with the IRS, whose Criminal Division investigated this case.

While Anetipa’s case goes through federal court, Samoa News is still getting reports of local residents who continue to file their local taxes in the U.S. in order to get the large tax refund.