Three men from Florida are charged with ID theft in Ohio. Officials said they stole stimulus checks, tax refunds, and credit card information from unsuspecting Southern Ohioans. According to David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, they took more than a $1 million.
3 Florida men charged with stealing credit, tax refunds, COVID-19 stimulus checks in bank fraud conspiracy involving more than $1 million in losses
A federal grand jury indicted:
- Adesh Alvin Bissoon, 41, of Miami Beach
- Michael Jacques Joseph, 37, of Miami Beach
- Victor Torres, 38, of Apollo Beach
Law enforcement said they defrauded at least 11 banks.
The Scheme
Here’s out the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the scam worked.
Between 2012 and 2020, these guys used the Dark Web to buy stolen personal information. Then the scammers used the IRS’s eAuthentication to double-check that their stolen information was accurate. Then they filed fake tax returns using the victims’ names. Not only did they steal their victims’ tax refunds, but they also ended up with their COVID-19 stimulus checks.
These guys didn’t stop there. They used the stolen information to get fake Social Security Cards and driver’s licenses. Using their fake IDs, they opened credit card accounts in the victims’ names. They even registered fake companies in the victims’ names to get business credit cards.
Bissoon was let out on bond after he was charged. Now, the government said he committed more crimes while he was on bail. They claim he tried to steal $150,000 from another bank. Federal agents said Bissoon alone stole more than $1 million.
Conspiracy and Identity Theft
Authorities charged Bissoon, Joseph, and Torres each with:
- conspiracy to commit bank fraud (up to 30 years in prison)
- two counts of mail fraud affecting a financial institution (up to 30 years in prison)
- two counts of aggravated identity theft (an additional two years in prison).
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie D. Garcia and Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.
