TAMARAC, FL – Woodley Louis-Jacques, 31, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 24 months and one day for a brazen tax refund fraud scheme that ripped off vulnerable families. The U.S. Secret Service and the IRS Criminal Investigation division brought the case, revealing a calculated operation that exploited prepaid tax refund cards.
The scheme unraveled in 2014 when a bank flagged suspicious activity at one of its drive-through ATMs. Investigators discovered someone—later identified as Louis-Jacques—systematically covering the security camera with sticky notes before repeatedly inserting multiple cards into the machine. Over nearly eight months, he racked up 204 transactions totaling $66,880 using 41 different cards.
The cards weren’t random. They were prepaid cards specifically designed to allow low-to-moderate income families to receive their tax refunds. Louis-Jacques filed 99 fraudulent tax returns, requesting a total of $378,688 in refunds, directing all the ill-gotten gains to those prepaid cards. The kicker? He used a single IRS Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) registered solely in his name to file these bogus returns.
Victims interviewed by law enforcement had no idea their identities were being used. They hadn’t authorized the filings or the redirection of refunds. The trail widened on August 1, 2014, when Louis-Jacques was pulled over in Georgia for speeding. A search of the vehicle turned up multiple phones, a laptop, and a wallet containing his ID alongside a prepaid card belonging to someone else. Crucially, officers found a folder stuffed with printed screenshots containing the personal identifying information – names and social security numbers – of roughly 200 individuals, seemingly sourced from tax software.
Louis-Jacques was finally arrested on September 21, 2017, and confessed to the scheme, admitting he was the sole operator of the fraudulent EFIN. In addition to the prison sentence, he’s been ordered to pay $87,562 in restitution to the victims. The investigation was a joint effort led by U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson, and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Brian Swain. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia R. Wood prosecuted the case.
Court documents related to the case are available on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida website: www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. The Secret Service and IRS-CI continue to aggressively pursue those who prey on vulnerable citizens through identity theft and financial fraud.
Related Federal Cases
- Robert Plunkett Charged with Tax Fraud, Orlando FL, 2023 · Georgia
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- William Matthew Tex Price, Marriage Fraud, Florida 2024 · Georgia
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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