Orlando Man Convicted Of Multiple Counts Of Theft Of Government Money And Aggravated Identity Theft

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Manuel Enrique Santana (36, Orlando) guilty of 10 counts of theft of government money and 5 counts of aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each of the theft counts, to be followed by a mandatory term of at least 2 years for the aggravated identity theft charges. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 12, 2017. Santana was indicted on August 31, 2016.

According to evidence presented at trial, in early 2014, Santana deposited 47 stolen federal tax refund checks into 3 of his own bank accounts during a 10-day period. The majority of the checks were endorsed with forged signatures of the intended payees, all of whom had filed returns for the 2013 tax year and were expecting to receive their refund checks by mail. The combined value of the 47 stolen refund checks was more than $64,000.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.