Identity Theft Tax Refund Scam Lands Couple Behind Bars

A Lauderdale Lakes couple has been sentenced for their role in a stolen identity tax refund scheme that involved thousands of patients’ personal identity information.

Michael Ali Bryant, Sr., 41, and his wife, Latina Rashawn Bryant, 43, both of Lauderdale Lakes, were sentenced for their participation in the scheme. Michael Bryant was sentenced to 144 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Latina Bryant was sentenced to 48 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Both defendants previously pled guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. Michael Bryant also previously pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3); and Latina Bryant previously pled guilty to one count of using an unauthorized access device, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2).

According to court documents, a confidential source initially approached Michael Bryant and inquired about purchasing narcotics. Bryant told the source that he did not have any narcotics but that he did have personal identity information (PII) that he was willing to sell to the source. The source made a controlled purchase of ten pages (each page containing approximately 20 to 25 names) of PII. Bryant instructed the source on how to commit tax fraud using the PII, and provided the source with specific instructions on what information to enter into the web pages of the internet-based tax services to obtain a tax refund.

The scheme involved the theft of personal identity information from a medical services provider. An examination of the PII revealed that it was from a medical services provider. Co-defendant Angela Dione Rosier, 41, of Coral Springs, was an employee of the medical services provider. Tiffany Shenae Cooper, 33, of Deerfield Beach, spoke to Rosier to obtain user names and passwords for current employees of the medical services provider. Cooper admitted to illegally logging on to the medical services provider’s computer network and downloading PII for the purpose of committing various types of fraud.

Co-defendant Marquis Onigirin Moye, 24, of Pompano Beach, was sentenced on March 28, 2014 to 54 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Moye previously pled guilty to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A.

The court also ordered Cooper and Rosier to pay $129,390.06 in restitution to the IRS and the medical services provider. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia R. Wood.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and IRS-CI. The case is a reminder of the importance of protecting personal identity information and the consequences of participating in identity theft schemes.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

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