Tampa Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Tax Return Fraud

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Henry Flerijean, 28, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced Thursday to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty on March 23, 2018, to theft of government money, possession of 15 or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identify theft.  Flerijean was also ordered to pay $558,075.00 in restitution.  The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

In February 2012, Flerijean was pulled over for speeding.  The deputy smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle.  The deputy searched the car and found a book bag with 7.5 grams of marijuana in it and approximately $21,427 in U.S. currency.  Inside the carpet lining of the trunk, the deputy recovered two separate stacks of debit cards in other people’s names.  He also discovered 31 counterfeit debit cards, two computers, and a notebook with names, social security numbers, and dates of birth, of individuals.  The names from the notebook matched some of the names found on the debit cards in the vehicle.  The computers contained evidence of fraudulently submitted tax returns.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Harwin prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.