Keauna Smith, a 28-year-old resident of South Euclid, Ohio, is facing a 33-count indictment after being accused of orchestrating a $70,000 identity theft scheme. The allegations, brought forth by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Cincinnati Field Office, charge Smith with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and bank fraud.
The indictment claims that between 2012 and 2014, Smith stole the identities of 16 individuals. She then used these stolen identities to file 18 false tax returns totaling approximately $44,306. The money was allegedly loaded onto prepaid debit cards and withdrawn from various ATMs across Ohio.
Additionally, Smith is accused of obtaining approximately $26,300 this year by stealing checks from her employer. She forged the owner’s signature on the checks to make them payable to herself.
“This defendant is accused of stealing from private citizens, the federal government, and her employer,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Her free ride of theft ends now.”
Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, emphasized the significance of investigating refund fraud and identity theft. “Stealing identities and filing false returns is a serious crime that hurts innocent taxpayers,” she said.
Smith faces 16 counts of wire fraud, 16 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of bank fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney James V. Moroney will be prosecuting the case after an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigations.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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