Tonia Bright, a former civilian employee of the Tampa Police Department, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for her role in a stolen identity refund scam.
A U.S. District Judge has ordered Bright to forfeit $29,057 and pay restitution totaling $166,026, which are the proceeds traceable to the offenses.
According to court documents, Bright accessed the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and other password-protected law enforcement databases to obtain personally identifiable information (PII) between 2009 and 2014.
Bright used the stolen PII to provide her friend, Rita Monique Girven, on at least ten occasions, who used the information to file fraudulent federal income tax returns and claim refunds to which she was not entitled.
Girven shared some of the proceeds with Bright, who got caught up in the scheme. Girven previously pleaded guilty in a separate case and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on November 20, 2015.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler prosecuted the case.
As a community service officer, Bright had access to local, state, and federal law enforcement databases, including NCIC, but her use of these databases was restricted to the performance of her authorized duties.
Related Federal Cases
- Miami-Dade Thug Gets 61 Months for ID Theft of 8,600 Patients · Florida
- North Miami Man Pleads Guilty in $2.4M Tax Refund Scam · Florida
- Homestead Man Gets 81 Months for Massive ID Theft Scheme · Florida
- Booker Admits Role in $2.1M Tax Refund Scam · Florida
- Ogletree Gets 30 Months for Identity Theft Scheme · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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