DALLAS — In a grim reminder of the devastating impact of identity theft, a north Texas man has been sentenced to 93 months in federal prison for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Reminco Zhangazha, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 93 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,648,334 in restitution. Zhangazha, who is currently in custody, pleaded guilty in June 2014 to one count of theft of public funds.
Zhangazha’s co-defendant, Tonderai Sakupwanya, pleaded guilty last year to the same offense and was sentenced earlier this year to 87 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. The restitution is payable jointly and severally by the two defendants.
The plea agreements with the government note that the defendants will forfeit the following property seized by law enforcement in May 2012 during the investigation of this case: $10,613 cash seized from Zhangazha’s vehicle; $93,513 cash from Villa Piana Luxury Apartments on Noel Road in Dallas; and $4,500 from a residence on Spring Mountain in Plano, Texas.
According to the factual resumes filed in the case, Zhangazha and Sakupwanya engaged in a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by obtaining stolen tax refunds that were generated by e-filing false and fraudulent income tax returns. They rented private mailboxes in the names of aliases by using forged United Kingdom passports. They then established bank accounts using the alias names and mailing addresses acquired at the private mailboxes.
During the course of the scheme, Zhangazha used the aliases of ‘Martin V. Masters’ and ‘Roy Daniel Black.’ Sakupwanya used the aliases of ‘Webster G. Rice,’ ‘Floyd Robbins,’ and ‘Floyd Roberts,’ during the scheme, according to the factual resume.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Stokes prosecuted.
Related Federal Cases
- Daryl Glenn Johnson, Public Funds Embezzlement, Texas 2023 · Kansas
- Simon Robert Barron, Pharmacy Burglary and Theft of Government Property, Texas 2013 · North Carolina
- Patricia Ann Raborn, Theft of Government Funds, Oklahoma 2006 · Washington
- Allison Faith Battles, Making a False Statement and Theft of Government Funds, Oklahoma 2007 · Washington
- Daryl Glenn Johnson, Federal Funds Embezzlement, Texas 2012 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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