El Cerrito Man Admits to $500K Check & ID Theft Scheme

OAKLAND, CA – Brandon Robinson, 35, of El Cerrito, California, has confessed to a brazen scheme involving the theft of identities and the cashing of over half a million dollars in fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks. The guilty plea, entered today, reveals a calculated effort to exploit the deceased and siphon funds from the government.

According to court documents, Robinson conspired to steal the names and identifying information of deceased individuals. This data was then used to file false federal tax returns, designed to generate refund checks. Robinson didn’t stop at tax returns; he also cashed stolen tax refund and social security benefit checks that were legitimately intended for other people – a callous disregard for the victims.

The operation wasn’t a solo act. Robinson allegedly enlisted the help of cashiers at stores in the Richmond area, offering them cash in exchange for cashing the fraudulent checks. This highlights a network of complicity, suggesting a wider criminal enterprise at play. The total amount of fraudulently obtained and stolen checks Robinson and his co-conspirators attempted to cash soared past the $500,000 mark.

U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced the guilty plea, signaling a firm stance against such financial crimes. The investigation, spearheaded by special agents of Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, uncovered the full scope of Robinson’s deceit.

Robinson now faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Adding to that, a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison awaits him for the aggravated identity theft count. Beyond incarceration, Robinson can expect a period of supervised release, restitution to the victims (if identifiable), and significant monetary penalties.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 23, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Newman and Jose A. Olivera, along with Trial Attorney Gregory Bernstein of the Tax Division, are prosecuting the case, promising a thorough pursuit of justice. This case serves as a stark reminder that exploiting vulnerable systems and stealing from the government will not go unpunished.