A Miramar man has been sentenced for his role in a stolen identity tax refund scheme that targeted at least 22 individuals. Johnny Alexander Melo, 36, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for his participation in the scheme.
According to court documents, Melo and his co-conspirators stole personal identification information and used the stolen information to file false tax returns in the identities of at least 22 individuals. The U.S. Treasury issued tax refund checks in the names of those individuals, which Melo then attempted to cash by using false driver’s licenses in the names of the stolen identities.
Melo was charged in a ten-count indictment on October 5, 2012, and previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to use a false identification document, one count of possession of five or more identification documents, one count of theft of government funds, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola ordered Melo to pay restitution of $18,594.63 to the IRS. Melo was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following the hearing.
The case was investigated by the Identity Theft Tax Refund Strike Force, with special commendation to the FBI and IRS-CI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael B. Nadler.
Miramar, Florida, is a city located in Broward County, Florida, and is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
The IRS-CI is a law enforcement agency responsible for investigating crimes related to tax evasion and identity theft.
Related Federal Cases
- Jermaine Winters, Tax Refund Fraud and Identity Theft, Florida 2012 · Florida
- Andy Lamour, Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud, Florida 2012 · Florida
- Wisly Toussaint, Identity Theft Tax Refund, Florida 2018 · Florida
- Freddie Howard, Tax Refund Fraud Scheme, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Sean Anthony Lopez, Tax Refund Fraud, Florida 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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