Woman pleads to ID thefts

Sunday, July 21st, 2013 @ 7:50PM

Former hospital worker admits selling patient information to Broward fraud ring

By Paula McMahon Staff writer

A South Florida hospital worker who stole more than 800 patients’ Social Security numbers and sold them to a multimillion-dollar tax fraud ring, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy Monday.

Betty Cole, 34, of Miami, faces a maximum of seven years in federal prison when she is sentenced later this year.

Federal prosecutors promised her they will recommend that she get a lighter punishment because she cooperated in the investigation and testified in trial against the Fort Lauderdale ringleader of the group, Alci Bonannee. Bonannee, 36, is now serving more than 26 years in federal prison for masterminding the identity theft ring. A federal judge told Bonannee she was a “parasite and a blight on society” and prosecutors said her scheme was one of the biggest and most successful in the nation.

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Posted by cfegov
Categories: Online articles

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What is the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Problem?

In general, tax-related identity theft occurs when an individual intentionally uses the Social Security number (SSN) of another person to file a false tax return with the intention of obtaining an unauthorized refund. Identity theft wreaks havoc on our tax system in many ways. Victims of identity theft not only must deal with the aftermath of an emotionally draining crime, but may also have to deal with the IRS for years to untangle the resulting tax account problems. Identity theft also impacts the public fisc, as Treasury funds are diverted to pay out improper refunds claimed by opportunistic perpetrators. In addition, identity theft takes a significant toll on the IRS, tying up limited resources that it could otherwise shift to taxpayer service or compliance initiatives