CINCINNATI – A brazen scheme to steal identities and siphon off millions in fraudulent funds has landed three Florida men in federal court. Adesh Alvin Bissoon, 41, of Miami Beach, Fla.; Michael Jacques Joseph, 37, of Miami Beach, Fla.; and Victor Torres, 38, of Apollo Beach, Fla., are accused of a decade-long conspiracy that ripped off at least 11 banks and victimized residents of the Southern District of Ohio.
The indictment alleges the trio operated from 2012 through August 2020, diving into the murky depths of the Dark Web to procure personally identifiable information (PII) from unsuspecting individuals. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was a slow bleed, meticulously harvesting data to exploit the system. They didn’t just target bank accounts; they went after tax refunds and even the COVID-19 stimulus checks meant to help struggling Americans.
Federal investigators say the defendants weren’t content with simply possessing the stolen data. They actively verified the PII using the IRS’s own eAuthentication service, ensuring the information was accurate and ripe for exploitation. This allowed them to file fraudulent tax returns, diverting refunds and stimulus payments into accounts they controlled. The scheme extended beyond tax fraud, with the men allegedly forging Social Security cards and driver’s licenses to open fraudulent financial accounts. These accounts were then milked for high-dollar convenience checks.
The trio wasn’t subtle. They even registered Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) with states and the IRS, a calculated move to secure business credit cards with inflated credit limits. But their greed proved to be their undoing. Bissoon, initially released on bond, allegedly didn’t learn his lesson, attempting to steal another $150,000 from a bank while still on pretrial release. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz swiftly revoked his bond after finding probable cause, demonstrating the court’s zero tolerance for continued criminal activity.
To date, authorities have traced over $1 million in suspected criminal proceeds flowing through accounts linked solely to Bissoon. The scale of the fraud is staggering. Each of the three defendants now faces serious charges: conspiracy to commit bank fraud (up to 30 years in prison), two counts of mail fraud affecting a financial institution (up to 30 years in prison), and two counts of aggravated identity theft (an additional two years in prison). The penalties reflect the severity of the crimes and the widespread damage inflicted upon victims.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, David M. DeVillers, and J. Russell George, the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, jointly announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie D. Garcia and Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo are prosecuting the case. It’s crucial to remember that an indictment is not a conviction. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But the evidence, as presented, paints a grim picture of calculated fraud and callous disregard for the financial well-being of others.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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