Former Tax Return Preparer Sentenced for $1.75 Million Stolen Identity Tax Refund Scheme

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael J. De Palma, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Brian Swain, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and William Hernandez, Chief, North Miami Beach Police Department (NMBPD), announced that Saul Frederick, 45, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was sentenced on December 14, 2018, to 61 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $1,757,397 in restitution for his role in a stolen identity tax refund scheme. 

Frederick previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims and aggravated identity theft.

According to the court record, including the plea documents, in early 2010, Frederick worked as a tax return preparer with co-conspirators Hugues Jean Noel, Frandy Prophete, and Edy St. Jean at a tax preparation business called H&A Tax Multi-Service, LLC, located in North Miami, Florida. The defendant and his co-­conspirators used stolen personal identification information (PII) to prepare and file false federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax years 2009 and 2010. Many of the individuals whose information was used died during tax years 2009 and 2010, and the defendants further sought refunds using fabricated employment and income information.

According to court records, Frederick traveled to Haiti in 2012, shortly before the charges were filed against him.  He was apprehended in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 17, 2018.

Jean Noel was sentenced on April 17, 2018 to 75 months in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1.79 million in restitution. The defendant previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of failure to appear.

Prophete, 34, of Miami, was sentenced on April 16, 2013 to 61 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1.85 million in restitution. Prophete previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false and fraudulent claims and another count of aggravated identity theft. 

Edy St. Jean remains a fugitive.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI, the USSS, and NMBPD in this matter.  She also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, South Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force for their assistance in locating and apprehending Frederick.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne.

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 at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.