Three Elmore County residents were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of charges stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud conspiracy, the George L. Beck, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama and the Internal Revenue Service released.

The alleged conspirators, Mary and Christian Young and Octavious Reeves, were charged in a 31-count indictment that was returned on Dec. 18, 2012, and unsealed today.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Mary and Christian Young and Reeves were charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, along with access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Mary Young was also charged with several counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment, the defendants’ conspiracy lasted from January 2012 through June 2012 and involved using stolen identities to file tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds.

The indictment further alleges that Mary Young obtained the names and Social Security numbers of individuals that were then used to electronically file false tax returns. Mary Young would direct the false tax refunds to bank accounts linked to prepaid debit cards. Mary and Christian Young and Reeves would then use the prepaid debit cards to withdraw cash or pay for personal items.

If convicted, Mary Young faces face a maximum potential sentence of 328 years in prison, Christian Young faces a maximum of 27 years in prison, and Reeves faces a maximum of 78 years in prison.

IRS-Criminal Investigation agents investigated this case, and Justice Department Tax Division trial attorneys Charles M. Edgar Jr. and Michael Boteler are prosecuting the case.

TAMPA, United States, Thursday January 17, 2013 – United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reported that an illegal Jamaican immigrant has been jailed for identity theft.

On Wednesday the ICE said Lynval Thompson was sentenced to two years in a US federal prison and one year of supervised release for “aggravated identity theft.”

He will be deported to Jamaica after he completes his prison sentence, officials said.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

ICE said that after comparing arrest records and fingerprint samples, US Homeland Security Investigation (HIS) special agents determined that Thompson had impersonated another man, Cory Howard, who was living in North Carolina in 2011.

According to ICE while reviewing his credit report, Howard realized that an unknown person in the state of Florida had opened a Wells Fargo bank account using his personal information.

After doing some investigating, Howard learned that the bank account was associated with a Tampa, Florida address, and he contacted the Tampa Police Department for assistance.

The immigration agency said a Tampa Police Department detective then embarked on an investigation.

Using ATM transaction videos and the address associated with the Wells Fargo bank account, the detective tracked down Howard’s impersonator via a traffic stop.

“The driver, however, did not present a Florida driver’s license bearing Howard’s information,” ICE said. “Instead, he presented a Florida license indicating that his name was Miguel Cruz,” it added.

When the detective analyzed both licenses, ICE said the images on the licenses bearing both Cruz and Howard’s name appeared to be the same person.

The driver of the vehicle also appeared to be the same person in the ATM videos, ICE added.

Tampa’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents on searching immigration records and working with law enforcement entities in Jamaica and the US Virgin Islands eventually identified the impersonator as Thompson