Cops: South Florida Man Uses Victim’s Identities To Cash In Their IRS Refunds
Cops: South Florida Man Uses Victim’s Identities To Cash In Their IRS Refunds
BOCA RATON, Fla. – A South Florida man is heading to federal prison in a big Internal Revenue Service fraud case.
Prosecutors say 26-year-old Brandon James of Miami got 81 months in prison.
They say he was lining his pockets, criss-crossing South Florida, getting rich off the IRS by using people’s stolen identities to get tax refunds he was not entitled to.
He and his cronies were caught at a former Chevron gas station on Yamato Road in Boca Raton in August 31, 2012.
Prosecutors say James and his co-conspirators would steal people’s identities, file fraudulent tax returns and then have the refunds uploaded on debit cards and went to numerous ATM’s making cash withdrawals.
“I think that’s wrong, I mean there’s so much going on nowadays in society,” said Priscilla Carrazana, a Delray Beach woman we spoke with at the gas station where James was arrested.
“I think it’s a tremendous abuse for people to perpetrate that,” said Jerry Abel, of Boca Raton, another person we talked with at the same gas station.
Prosecutors say James and two associates attempted to defraud the IRS of more than $862,000 in fraudulent income tax refunds, and had the stolen identities of 121 people.
James pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal government monies, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft. He must pay restitution of $382, 444, in addition to the 81 month sentence.
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