ID Thief Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Broward County Man Sentenced to Four Years for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Patrick Robinson to 4 years in federal prison for possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and a consecutive 2 years for aggravated identity theft. Robinson pleaded guilty on September 25, 2013.

According to court documents, on February 28, 2012, Robinson was stopped for speeding in a vehicle, in . A subsequent search of his vehicle recovered two laptop computers, a thumb drive, numerous Wal-Mart Money Cards, and a Green Dot debit card. Each card was wrapped in a piece of paper that had a name, routing number, account number, and tax refund amount handwritten on it. Approximately 232 separate identities were found on the thumb drive.

Robinson admitted that he had been committing tax refund fraud for approximately six months. He also admitted to using the stolen victim identifiers contained on the thumb drive to file fraudulent tax returns, using an online tax program. Robinson requested the tax return refund money from the fraudulent returns to be placed on the purchased Wal-Mart Money and Green Dot cards.

The evidence against Robinson was uncovered through a joint investigation by the United States Secret Service, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This is not the first time Robinson has faced charges for his crimes. However, with the latest sentence, he will be serving a total of 4 years in federal prison. The consequences of his actions will be felt for years to come.

Broward County residents can rest a little easier knowing that the perpetrator of this crime has been brought to justice. The sentencing of Patrick Robinson serves as a reminder that fraud and financial crimes will not be tolerated in our community.

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