North Miami Resident Sentenced in Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

A North Miami resident was sentenced to 31 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $18,469 for his participation in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Neil Melofchik, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

Alexander Paul, 23, previously pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, 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(a)(1).

According to court documents, from February 2, 2014 to May 20, 2014, fifty-three (53) tax returns were filed from Paul’s residence claiming federal tax refunds of $109,322. The IRS paid out $18,469 in refunds on those tax returns.

A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence where law enforcement found and seized evidence relating to identity theft and the filing of false tax returns. Personal identification information (PII) of other individuals was found in a notebook, computer, and two cellular telephones in Paul’s bedroom. The computer also contained copies of tax returns filed in the names of other individuals.

Paul admitted to law enforcement that he possessed the PII found in the residence, that he prepared and filed the 53 tax returns electronically submitted to the IRS, and that he loaded the refunds obtained onto debit cards. The defendant did not have permission or authority to use the PII, belonging to other individuals, to prepare the tax returns.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI and the USSS. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daya Nathan and Brooke C. Watson.

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.