San Francisco, CA – In a shocking case of identity theft, Brandon Robinson, a 35-year-old resident of El Cerrito, California, has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for aggravated identity theft and conspiring to steal government funds.
According to court documents, Robinson and his co-conspirators stole the names of deceased individuals and used them to file federal tax returns seeking refunds. They then paid cashiers at stores in the Richmond-area to cash the fraudulently obtained refund checks. Robinson also cashed stolen tax refund and social security benefit checks meant for other individuals.
The brazen scheme involved attempting to cash more than $500,000 in fraudulently obtained and stolen checks. On November 5, 2015, a federal grand jury indicted Robinson and charged him with one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; three counts of theft of public money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641, and three counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A.
On February 14, 2017, Robinson pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and one count of aggravated identity theft. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the remaining counts were dismissed.
As part of his sentence, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White ordered Robinson to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $30,111.90 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Robinson is scheduled to begin serving his prison term on July 13, 2017.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Newman and Jose A. Olivera, and Trial Attorney Gregory Bernstein of the Tax Division. U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg commended the special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation who conducted the investigation.
In related news, IRS-Criminal Investigation urges citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to identity theft and tax refund scams.
Related Federal Cases
- Nazaret Chakrian, ID Theft and Wire Fraud, California 2023 · Idaho
- Susan Hacker, Social Security Benefits Theft, California 2001 · Kansas
- Daniel Deaibes, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, California 2012 · Florida
- Christopher Guilford, Tax Refund Scheme, California 2025 · Virginia
- Frank Hamilton, SBA Scam, California 2023 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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