Palm Beach resident Raphael Oswald, a/k/a Mackenson R. Olibrice, 37, of Rivera Beach, Florida, pled guilty to orchestrating a massive stolen identity tax fraud scheme that netted over $139,308 in ill-gotten federal tax refunds. The plea, entered in federal court, marks a grim milestone in a case that exposed layers of financial deception tied to stolen identities and luxury car fraud.
Oswald admitted to one count of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, one count of theft of public money, under Section 641, and one count of aggravated identity theft under Section 1028A. The charges stem from a multi-pronged criminal operation that first came to light during an August 2013 investigation into Oswald’s use of a woman’s stolen identity to purchase a 2006 Porsche and BMW X-5 in New York.
At two separate dealerships, Oswald presented a fraudulent passport and Florida driver’s license bearing the woman’s name but his own photo. That initial fraud trail led investigators directly into a broader tax scam: Oswald had amassed stolen personal identifying information from numerous victims and used it to file more than one hundred fraudulent federal tax returns. The refunds were funneled into bank accounts under the name of his company.
From those accounts, Oswald made a series of cash withdrawals and used the funds to buy personal items, effectively laundering government money through shell business accounts. The IRS-CI uncovered the full scope of the operation, revealing a calculated pattern of deception that exploited both identity theft and federal tax systems.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI, announced the guilty plea. Ferrer praised the investigative rigor that dismantled the scheme. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia R. Wood.
Oswald is scheduled for sentencing on February 7, 2017, before United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. He faces up to twenty years in prison for wire fraud, up to ten years for theft of public money, and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft, which must run consecutive to any other term. Court documents are available via the Southern District of Florida’s public docket at www.flsd.uscourts.gov and pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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