A 28-year-old Palm Beach County man has pleaded guilty to his part in a stolen identity tax refund fraud conspiracy that targeted students and others.
Oniel Winston Scarlett, 28, is set for sentencing Sept. 30, with a potential term of up to 22 years, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a June 23 release.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
It was during a traffic stop of Scarlett on Sept. 20, 2011, that a Florida Highway Patrol trooper found a trove: 92 Wal-Mart pre-paid debit cards, printouts of stolen information on hundreds of people, and more than 50 Palm Beach County School Board’ printouts with students’ names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. The trooper also found two computers, two memory sticks and a cell phone.
According to court documents, Scarlett and co-conspirators fraudulently obtained and exchanged private identity numbers, then filed some 52 false income tax returns that directed nearly $77,000 in refunds be deposited onto pre-paid debit cards. Prosecutors said Scarlett earned $1,000 to $2,000 a week selling the fake cards. And on a computer, investigators found 228 separate login user identifications used to file false additional returns claiming bout $290,000.
