AMAURY VLADIMIR REYES-BATISTA, Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud, Connecticut 2015
A 43-year-old man from the Dominican Republic has been found guilty of masterminding a massive stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme in Connecticut.
A federal jury in Bridgeport delivered the verdict against AMAURY VLADIMIR REYES-BATISTA, a resident of New Britain, after a trial that began on June 10.
The scheme, which dated back to 2012, involved Reyes-Batista and his associate obtaining fraudulent U.S. Treasury tax refund checks using stolen identities.
Reyes-Batista then deposited the checks into a bank account controlled by his associate. In January 2012, he deposited 21 refund checks totaling approximately $124,000 at TD Bank branches in New Britain, Berlin, and Southington.
Reyes-Batista was arrested on February 3, 2015, and provided a false name, date, and place of birth, and Social Security Number to law enforcement. The identifying information Reyes-Batista provided belonged to an individual living in Puerto Rico.
The jury found Reyes-Batista guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; eight counts of theft of public money, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Judge Stefan R. Underhill scheduled sentencing for September 4, 2019. Reyes-Batista was detained from the date of his arrest until April 19, 2018, when he was released on a $100,000 bond.
Reyes-Batista's past conviction for attempted heroin distribution in New York state court in 1996, which led to his removal to the Dominican Republic, has also come to light.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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