HOUSTON — A sprawling identity theft operation that drained money from bank accounts and siphoned off fraudulent tax refunds has come crashing down with the arrest of six suspects, including two named Johnson, who allegedly posed as accountholders and hijacked financial lines of credit in a brazen bid to steal millions.
James Michael Curtis Johnson, 31, Donald Ray Perry, 26, Enitra Shante Pickett, 28, and D’angela Devonne Domio, 26, all of Houston; Joshua Jacquez Britton, 28, of Richmond; and Joseph Edward Johnson, 44, of Katy, were taken into custody today following a 32-count indictment unsealed by federal authorities. The charges include wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, theft of public money, and aggravated identity theft — each carrying stiff federal penalties.
The indictment, returned Oct. 26, 2016, outlines two parallel schemes. In the first, James Johnson, Joseph Johnson, Pickett, and Joshua Britton allegedly conspired to infiltrate victim bank accounts and home equity lines of credit by creating fake online accounts and impersonating legitimate accountholders. Funds were swiftly moved before banks could freeze them, slipping through the cracks of detection.
All six defendants are also charged with conspiring to file false tax returns and claim refunds they were not entitled to. Once the IRS issued payments, the group allegedly drained the accounts before authorities could intervene. The indictment states each defendant engaged in aggravated identity theft by using victims’ personal information without authorization to execute these crimes.
Punishment looms heavy: wire fraud and conspiracy carry up to 20 years in federal prison; theft of public money brings a maximum 10-year sentence. Each defendant also faces up to five additional years for the conspiracy charge and a possible $250,000 fine per count. Sentences could stack depending on convictions.
The investigation was led by the FBI Houston Cyber Task Force and IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI), with support from the Houston Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu is prosecuting. The suspects are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson at 2:00 p.m. today. An indictment is not evidence of guilt — each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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