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Social Security Number Misuse Scheme Unravels in New York
Three individuals, Stephen Mockler, 53, of Waverly, New York, Andrew Panessa, 40, of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, and Sabrina Scott, 52, of Granbury, Texas, have pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in a scheme to obtain confidential tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to the investigation, Scott, while an employee of a private investigation firm in Texas, provided personal identifying information about her firm’s investigative targets, including their social security numbers, to Mockler and Panessa. Mockler used this information to impersonate the taxpayers and obtain non-public information about them.
Mockler and Panessa admitted to using the social security numbers to commit wire fraud and misuse of a social security number. They each face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for each count of wire fraud and five years for each count of misuse of a social security number.
The aggravated identity theft convictions require a two-year sentence to run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed for the wire fraud and misuse of a social security number counts. In addition, the maximum fine is $250,000, and the court could impose a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to three years.
Sabrina Scott pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse social security numbers and faces a maximum sentence of five years, a fine of $250,000, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to three years.
No sentencing date is currently set for Mockler or Panessa. Scott’s sentencing is scheduled for October 5, 2021.
The cases were investigated by the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Geoffrey J.L. Brown.
Defendant: Stephen Mockler, Sabrina Scott, Andrew Panessa
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, misuse of a social security number, and aggravated identity theft
City and State: Syracuse, New York
Exact Date: Not specified
Sentence or Outcome: Currently pending
Dollar Amounts: $250,000 fine
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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