Diego Rojas, Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, Pennsylvania 2016

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SCRANTON, Pennsylvania – Diego Rojas, 42, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, Indicted for Conspiracy to Make False Claims Against the Government

In a shocking turn of events, Diego Rojas, the owner of Dunmore Cash Checking, a check-cashing, tax preparation and money transfer business in Dunmore, has been indicted for conspiracy to make false claims against the government. According to sources, Rojas was arrested on January 19, 2016, by the Scranton Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

It is alleged that in 2013, Rojas deposited more than 350 United States treasury checks, at least 250 of which were identified as Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) checks, into a bank account that he owned under the name of Dunmore Cash Checking between January and November 2013. The approximate value of these checks was $1,600,000.

As part of the scheme, Rojas is accused of facilitating the obtaining of refunds for fraudulent tax returns, which disrupted the orderly administration of the income tax system for hundreds of thousands of law-abiding taxpayers nationwide. The IRS estimates that during the 2013 filing season alone, over 5 million tax returns were filed using stolen identities, claiming approximately $30 billion in refunds.

The Department of Justice views the prosecution of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, or “SIRF,” as vital. These schemes are often perpetrated by criminal enterprises with key individuals at all stages of the scheme: those who steal Social Security Numbers and other personal identifying information, those who file false returns with the Internal Revenue Service, those, including check cashers, who facilitate obtaining the refunds, and those who promote the schemes.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob for prosecution. The charges in the present case are the result of ongoing investigations by the Scranton Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police, the Hazelton, Taylor, Dickson City, Dunmore and Olyphant Police Departments, and the Lackawanna and Luzerne County District Attorneys’ Offices.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The maximum penalty under federal law is 20 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $500,000 fine.

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