Deatrice Smith Williams, Identity Theft, Alabama 2012

Identity Thief Indicted in Alabama

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a superseding indictment charging Deatrice Smith Williams and Quentin Collick for their roles in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy.

The 13-count indictment charges Williams and Collick with conspiracy to file false claims, theft of public funds, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Williams worked for a debt collection company in Georgia. As part of her employment, Williams had access to names and social security numbers. She provided several names and Social Security numbers to her son-in-law, Quentin Collick. Collick, and his co-conspirators used those names to file false tax returns from the Middle District of Alabama.

On August 9, 2012, Quentin Collick was indicted for his role in the conspiracy. In November 2012, pursuant to a criminal complaint, Williams was arrested for her role in the conspiracy.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, Collick and Williams each face maximum potential sentences of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count, up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft counts. Collick also faces up to 10 years in prison for each theft of public funds count.

They are also subject to fines and mandatory restitution if convicted.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the IRS - Criminal Investigation. Tax Division Trial attorneys Jason H. Poole and Michael Boteler and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/georgia-woman-indicted-stealing-identities-obtain-tax-refunds