Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty in $124K RV and Tax Fraud Scheme

A Brooklyn man opened bank accounts with fake IDs to launder money from stolen identity tax refunds and rip-off RV sales, netting over $124,000 in a short-lived but brazen fraud spree. Marlen Manukyan, 41, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, a federal crime punishable by up to twenty years behind bars.

Between August and November 2013, Manukyan used counterfeit Pennsylvania driver’s licenses to open multiple bank accounts under stolen identities. He knew the accounts would funnel cash from illegal schemes. These accounts quickly became dumping grounds for dirty money—first from fraudulent IRS tax returns filed in stolen names, then from wire transfers tied to fake RV sales on online marketplaces.

Manukyan’s co-conspirators filed approximately 71 bogus tax returns using victims’ identities, siphoning refunds into the accounts he set up. They withdrew funds via cash withdrawals and debit card purchases, leaving taxpayers blindsided and the IRS out hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, the RV scam targeted unsuspecting buyers searching for secondhand recreational vehicles. One retired couple wired $39,960 for a deal that never existed—no RV, no follow-up, just silence.

That $39,960 was swiftly moved through Manukyan’s shell company account before being routed overseas. Nearly $39,000 was sent via international wire to Moscow, Russia, to another individual not yet charged. The digital paper trail led straight back to the phony IDs and bank fronts Manukyan helped establish. He admitted to his role in court documents and agreed to pay $124,009 in restitution.

Manukyan is set for sentencing on March 16, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Miami. While he’s not accused of masterminding the full operation, his role in setting up the financial infrastructure made the fraud possible. Federal prosecutors are pushing for maximum consequences under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h).

The case was led by the FBI’s Miami Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Harold E. Schimkat handling prosecution. U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer praised the agencies for dismantling the scheme. Court records remain accessible via the Southern District of Florida’s public docket at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or through PACER.

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