A former travel agent from Orlando, Florida, has been found guilty of her role in a scheme to cash in on tax refunds obtained with stolen identities. Ana Orosa Parada, 49, was convicted of conspiracy to obtain payment of false claims by a federal jury in Orlando.
Parada faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell on August 13, 2013. Parada was indicted on September 19, 2012.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Marisol Panel, a former employee of ‘Holiday Travel and Tours,’ had illegally obtained identities of adults and children who lived in Puerto Rico. Panel testified that she prepared tax returns using a tax filing program and paid local residents to receive refund checks at their residences.
After the refund checks arrived, Panel and her co-defendant husband, Wilfredo Flores, would pick up the refund checks and deliver them to Parada. Parada would either cash the refund checks belonging to the identity theft victims or apply the checks to Panel and Flores’ travel packages. Parada testified that she knew cashing and exchanging the refund checks for Panel and Flores’ travel packages was wrong.
Bank records showed Parada deposited 123 refund checks into her business checking account. The records also showed business checks which Parada had made payable to Marisol Panel for the amount of the refund checks, minus the fee Parada had charged for cashing the checks. Parada’s fee ranged from $700 to $1,000 per check. Other evidence showed that refund checks also had been applied to the cost of the travel packages purchased through Parada’s now defunct travel agency.
Both Panel and Flores have pleaded guilty for their role in the conspiracy. They are scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2013. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Davis Wilson.
Parada’s business activities have been shut down following her indictment. The case is a reminder that tax refund schemes have serious consequences for those involved.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant/Respondent: Ana Orosa Parada
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Obtain Payment of False Claims
City and State: Orlando, Florida
Exact Date: September 19, 2012 (indicted), August 13, 2013 (sentencing hearing)
Sentence or Outcome: Faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison
Dollar Amounts: $700 to $1,000 per check (Parada’s fee), 123 refund checks deposited into Parada’s business checking account
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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