IRS and agencies charge 14 with ID theft tax refund fraud in Florida
14 defendants in six separate cases were charged for taking part scams that involved thousands of stolen identities that were used to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refund claims.
Two defendants were charged in 13-count indictment for their participation in an identity theft tax refund scheme. Charged in the indictment were Fednol Pierre, 34, of Miami, and Jeanson Pata, 31, of West Palm Beach. The indictment charges Pierre with theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. It also charges Pata with theft of government money or property and false statement to a federal agency. According to the indictment, Pierre used stolen personal identification information to steal six tax refund payments, totaling $52,535.87. The indictment further alleges that Pata participated in the theft of two of these payments, totaling $14,078, and made a false statement to the United States Secret Service during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Coats.
6. United States v. Douglas Michael Young, et al.
Last week, five defendants pled guilty in U.S. v. Douglas Michael Young, et al., Case. No. 12-CR-20767, for their involvement in a tax fraud conspiracy. On January 29, 2013, defendants Jeffrey Andre Young, Jr., 31, of Miami, and Joseph Bshara, 27, of Miami Shores, each pled guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft. On that same date, Siham Benabdallah, 23, of Miami Shores, pled guilty to one count of theft of government property. Jeffrey Andre Young, Jr., Joseph Bshara, and Siham Benabdallah were involved in cashing tax refund checks from one of two tax preparation companies, either Young Professional Services Inc. or Supreme Tax, both owned and operated by co-defendants Douglas Michael Young and Nicole Young. In total, these defendants chased checks totaling $37,749.44.
On February 1, 2013, Douglas Michael Young, a/k/a Douglas Pierre, 41, Nicole Young, a/k/a Nicole Pierre, a/k/a Nicole Pierre Smith, 42, both of Miramar, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal government property, one count of theft of government property, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Defendant Douglas Michael Young and his wife, Nicole Young, owned and operated two tax preparation companies, Supreme Tax and Young Professional Services Inc. The Youngs would obtain identification information from unknowing victims and use their identification information to file fraudulent tax refund claims. The Youngs charged the unknowing victims a fee for their purported tax preparation service, which would be deducted from their refund check. The Youngs would deposit the fees into bank accounts they controlled. The remainder of the refunds would be converted into personal checks that would be deposited into bank accounts controlled by co-defendants Ernest V. Charles, Joseph Bshara, and Siham Benabdallah. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Lunkenheimer.
An indictment is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
-------------------------
