A South Florida ring accused of plotting to fleece $34 million from the U.S. government by filing phony tax returns in the names of thousands of dead people was indicted this week.
The indictment charged 11 defendants with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by stealing the identities of nearly 7,000 people, including more than 2,700 who were dead, to file fraudulent tax returns, according to federal prosecutors.
The case marks the latest federal crackdown on the escalating crime, which costs the U.S. government billions of dollars every year. Earlier this week, the U.S. attorney’s office announced the recent prosecutions of 14 defendants in similar fraud cases.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said the double-barreled crime of ID theft coupled with tax refund scams is the “new Medicare fraud” in South Florida.
According to the latest indictment, the defendants recruited “knowing participants and unknowing victims” to put businesses, bank accounts and electronic filing ID numbers in the perpetrators’ names to carry out their schemes, prosecutors said.
“To avoid having the fraud discovered, the defendants negotiated the fraudulently obtained income tax refund checks at each other’s businesses,” they said in a statement.
Prosecutors are seeking to seize $443,449 from bank accounts, a 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT Premium Sport, a 2010 Nissan Maxima, a 2011 Infiniti M37, and a 2010 Porsche.
Charged in the indictment were: Henry Dorvil, 35, of Hollywood; Herve Wilmore Jr., 29, of Aventura; Dukens Eleazard, 33, of Pembroke Pines; Marie Eleazard, 32, of Miami; Jesse Lamar Harrell, 26, of Miramar, and Luckner St. Fleur, 32, of Miami.
Also: Ruth “Princess” Cartwright, 30, formerly of Plantation; Miguel Patterson, 35, of Miami; Brandon Johnson, 29, of Miami Gardens; John Similien, 24, of Plantation; and Marc Leroy Saint Juste, 26, of Tamarac.
On Friday, Dorvil, Harrell, Patterson, Johnson and Saint Juste made their initial appearances in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. Cartwright was arrested in Georgia and will make her initial appearance there. Wilmore, both Eleazards, St. Fleur and Similien remain at large.
On Thursday, in a separate case, three defendants were sentenced for filing false income-tax claims with the IRS using the stolen identities of foreign nationals.
Christian Andres Perin, 40, of Miami, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Venancio Oscar Pio, 52, of Doral, and Olga Rosana Garcia, 46, of Miami, were sentenced to about six years.
The defendants were also ordered to pay restitution of $1.15 million.
Feds indict 11 South Floridians for stealing IDs, filing taxes for 2,700 dead people
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Feds indict 11 South Floridians for stealing IDs, filing taxes for 2,700 dead people
