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Naples Man Jailed for Stolen Identity Scheme
A Naples man has been sentenced to 34 months in prison for his role in a scheme to cash fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury income tax refund checks.
Victor Martinez Pantoja, 23, of Naples, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Pantoja met with two individuals and negotiated a deal to cash the Treasury checks, providing them with three checks totaling $27,263 and a copy of a counterfeited Florida driver’s license and social security card for each corresponding check.
Pantoja obtained the Treasury checks by filing fraudulent tax returns using the identities of individuals who died in the previous tax year, obtaining the deceased individuals’ identities from the internet.
As part of the scheme, Pantoja provided the individuals with six Treasury checks totaling $35,547, which were to be cashed by them.
The individuals agreed to return $20,500 to Pantoja, which they did on November 26, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI, and the USPIS, and praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Gera R. Peoples for his work in prosecuting the case.
Pantoja will serve 34 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
RELATED: Michigan Man Sentenced for $2.3M Embezzlement
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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