Media Articles
State Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft Charges
U.S. Attorney’s Office May 07, 2013 Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Manuel Orosa, Chief, City of Miami Police Department, announce that Bernard Beliard, a former state corrections…
19 Statesboro Residents Indicted/Charged in Identity Theft, IRS Fraud Case
By Savannah Morning News The federal grand jury sitting in Savannah returned six indictments Tuesday charging 12 defendants with 115 violations of federal law involving fraudulent tax returns. The federal crimes charged in these indictments range from a conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service to identity theft from medical…
New Laws Urged to Cut ‘Epidemic’ of ID Theft
By Donna Gehrke-White, Sun Sentinel 6:12 a.m. EDT, April 16, 2013 As South Floridians rushed to file their taxes on Monday, congressional lawmakers said they would push for tougher laws to help cut down on what law enforcement officials continue to call an “epidemic” of tax-related theft in the region….
Two Brevard County Residents Charged with Tax Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft
ORLANDO—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the return of an indictment charging Abdul Cunningham and Jana Harris-Cunningham with five counts of wire fraud, five counts of filing a false claim with the Internal Revenue Service, four counts of theft of government property, and five counts of aggravated identity theft….
IRS Gets Help Fighting Identity Theft Tax Fraud
The number of IRS criminal investigators in the Tampa area more than doubled Friday when 30 officers from 10 state and local agencies were sworn in as IRS deputies. The additional manpower is part of a comprehensive effort to combat the identity theft tax refund fraud that has exploded in…
Five Suspects in ID-Theft Ring Jailed in Broward
By Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel – March 13, 2013 A ring of five identity thieves who stole and negotiated the sale of more than 6,000 victims’ personal information is now behind bars, authorities said Wednesday. With the help of a confidential informant, the Broward Sheriff’s Office in December began an…
To Catch a Thief
Citizens Against Government Waste, a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization, dedicated to fighting and eliminating waste in government, wrote an informative article on March 7, 2013 pertaining to the identity theft-based tax refund fraud problem facing our nation. By Leslie Paige ‘Tis the season…for tax refund fraud. And the 2012 filing…
Tax Refund Fraud Like ‘Crack Cocaine’ for Criminals, U.S. Attorney Says
February 6, 2013 The filing of fraudulent tax returns by money-hungry identity thieves is spreading through South Florida “like a virus” and six recent cases involving 14 defendants highlight that grim reality, federal prosecutors say. Announced on Tuesday evening, the cases reflect Florida’s dubious distinction as the identity theft capital…
Castor Announces Progress in Combating Identity Theft and Tax Fraud
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor detailed today the progress made in the fight against identity theft and tax-related crimes, and announced the filing of new legislation to continue the momentum. Together with Rep. Rich Nugent, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and local law enforcement, Castor has pressed successfully for strong action…
Miami U.S. Attorney Issues Warning and Crackdown on ID Theft
February 6, 2013 Guard your identity with your life, warns South Florida’s top law enforcement official. U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer says the double whammy of ID theft and tax-refund scams are the “new Medicare fraud,” picking the pockets of hard-working people and the federal government every year for billions of…
Identity Theft Crackdown Sweeps Across the Nation
Jan. 31, 2012 The Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department today announced the results of a massive national sweep cracking down on suspected identity theft perpetrators as part of a stepped-up effort against refund fraud and identity theft. Working with the Justice Department’s Tax Division and local U.S. Attorneys’…
Identity Thieves Could Rake in $26 Billion in Tax Refunds
May 8, 2012 Criminals who file fraudulent tax returns by stealing people’s identities could rake in an estimated $26 billion over the next five years because the IRS cannot keep up with the amount of the fraud, Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George said Tuesday. “Our analysis found that, although…
