Press Release
City of Miami Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing 242 Stolen Identities Used in Unemployment and Tax Fraud Schemes
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida
A City of Miami resident pled guilty to possessing 242 stolen identities used in unemployment and tax fraud schemes.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Miami Office (DOL-OIG), and Steve Steinberg, Chief, Aventura Police Department, made the announcement.
Yordan Gorotiza, 25, pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices (social security numbers) with intent to defraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. Sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2016 before U.S. District Court Judge Paul C. Huck. At sentencing, Gorotiza faces a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment for the access device charge, and a mandatory term of two years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other prison term, for the aggravated identity theft charge.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop of Gorotiza’s vehicle, law enforcement officers found Gorotiza in possession of (among other items) four Florida unemployment cards in the names of other individuals; 26 Visa gift cards; a Florida driver’s license with Gorotiza’s picture but with another individual’s name; and a book bag containing personal identifying information (PII) of 242 different people, including employment records from a business and patient data sheets from a hospital. Several of the sheets contained handwritten driver's license numbers and markings commonly used to represent tax or unemployment benefits filings.
Records from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity show that between October 1, 2013 and July 11, 2014, at least 64 of the victims had their personal information used without authorization to obtain unemployment benefits, including the victims whose unauthorized unemployment cards Gorotiza possessed during the traffic stop. The total actual loss to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity was $33,608, and the total intended loss was $192,009. The total intended loss attributable to Gorotiza, including the 178 victims whose social security numbers were not used to obtain unauthorized unemployment benefits, was $281,009.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, and the Aventura Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tonya R. Long.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Updated July 13, 2016
Topics
Identity Theft
Tax
Component