Miami Man Sentenced for IRS Refund Fraud Scheme

Brandon James, a Miami resident, was today sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley to 81 months in prison for his pivotal role in a fraudulent tax refund scheme that attempted to bilk the IRS out of over $862,000.

The scheme, which preyed on at least 121 stolen identities, saw James and co-conspirators Laron Larkin and Eric Fussell cash out fraudulent federal income tax refunds loaded onto debit cards. The IRS paid approximately $382,484 in refund requests before the scheme was uncovered.

In court documents and statements, James admitted to conspiracy to steal government monies, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft. Alongside his prison sentence, he is ordered to pay restitution of $382,444 and a special assessment of $300.

Co-defendant Laron Larkin was sentenced in 2013 to 36 months in prison for conspiracy to steal monies of the United States and aggravated identity theft. The successful investigation and prosecution were attributed to the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami Field Office, and the Boca Raton Police Department.

United States Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer praised the collaborative efforts that led to James’ conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Carlton is handling the prosecution in this case.

For more information on this case and related documents, visit the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls, or the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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