Tampa Man Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Scheme Involving Nearly $400,000 In Stolen Federal Tax Refund Checks

Tampa, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge James Moody, Jr. today sentenced Taurence Creary (47, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy, receipt of stolen government property, and aggravated identity theft. Creary had pleaded guilty on April 5, 2018.

According to court documents, Creary obtained a number of genuine federal tax refund checks that had been stolen en route to the intended taxpayers, who were identity theft victims living in the Middle District of Florida. Creary and others then sold or attempted to sell the checks to third parties. The U.S. Department of Treasury tax refund checks ranged in amounts from $4,000 to more than $100,000, with an aggregate value of over $398,000.

On May 10, 2018, U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Xavier Williams, Creary’s co-conspirator, to three years in federal prison for his role in the scheme.     

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel K. Jones and Eric K. Gerard.