Tampa Man Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Sell Nearly $300,000 In Stolen Federal Tax Refund Checks

Tampa, Florida– Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Xavier Williams (48, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to receipt of stolen government property and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, Williams obtained a number of federal tax refund checks belonging to taxpayers who were victims of identity theft. He then sold or attempted to sell the checks to others. The checks, issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury, ranged in amounts from $4,000 to over $128,000, with an aggregate value of over $297,000.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Gerard.