Eddie Blanchard, Stolen ID Theft Scheme, Virginia 2012

RICHMOND, Va. – A Miami man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme.

Eddie Blanchard, 37, was found guilty by a federal jury on May 6, 2015, for his involvement in a Miami-based stolen identity refund fraud scheme.

According to evidence presented at trial and other hearings, Blanchard participated in the scheme with three confederates, Ramoth Jean, Junior Jean Merilia, and Jimmy Lord Calixte, who traveled repeatedly to Richmond in the early part of 2012 and used stolen personal identifying information to file hundreds of fraudulent tax returns.

The scheme involved using online tax preparation programs to claim significant refunds on the fraudulent returns and requesting that those refunds be placed on pre-paid debit cards, which were later mailed to Richmond addresses selected by the conspirators.

The scheme began to unravel when a Henrico County police officer encountered Jean removing a box containing stolen personal identifying information from a storage unit rented by the co-conspirators.

Following Jean’s subsequent arrest on June 20, 2013, Blanchard convinced him to mislead federal investigators about the identity of his actual co-conspirators, going so far as to facilitate the creation of a fictional accomplice.

On January 9, 2014, Jean was sentenced to 114 months in prison for his role in the fraud scheme. He was subsequently sentenced to an additional eight months in prison on a separate contempt charge for his refusal to testify before the grand jury.

On June 19, 2015, Merilia was sentenced to a total of 133 months in prison for his role in the fraud scheme and the subsequent obstruction of justice.

Calixte is currently a fugitive.

Blanchard was sentenced to 204 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $568,625.07 in restitution.

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