Bowie Man Gets 4 Years for Massive Identity Theft Scheme

Identity Thief Sentenced to 4 Years

A Maryland man was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a massive identity theft and tax fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

Marc A. Bell, 49, a former employee of the District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims, aiding and abetting in the filing of fictitious or false claims, and aiding and abetting fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents.

The scheme involved the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million from the U.S. Treasury. The false tax returns sought refunds for tax years 2005 through 2013 and were often filed in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts, and incarcerated individuals.

Bell used his access to the agency’s database system to obtain the personal identifying information of at least 645 then-current and former DYRS youth, which he provided to other scheme participants. The IRS issued approximately 700 U.S. Treasury checks, totaling approximately $2,422,211, in the names of the DYRS youth in whose names the tax returns were filed.

Bell received financial compensation from co-conspirators for providing the stolen identities and is one of approximately 20 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to federal charges. He was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $1,972,710.

The scheme was a ‘far-reaching identity theft and false tax return scheme’ that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance, according to Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Tax Division.

Bell’s sentence is a result of the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.