Two Miami residents were sentenced for their involvement in a money laundering scheme that utilized stolen identity tax refunds.
Steven Toussaint, 33, and Emmanuel Marvin Alphonse, 28, both of Miami, were sentenced before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez. Toussaint was sentenced to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Alphonse was sentenced to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The defendants pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(a)(1)(B)(i). According to court documents, from January 1, 2011 through July 29, 2011, the defendants engaged in money laundering activities involving the cashing of money orders funded with fraudulent, stolen identity tax refunds.
Both Toussaint and Alphonse had their own check cashing accounts at the Cash-A-Check check-cashing store. Toussaint cashed 985 money orders, totaling $490,401, using his own Cash-A-Check account. Alphonse cashed 581 money orders, totaling $286,995, using his own Cash-A-Check account. The defendants knew that the money orders were funded by unlawful activity, and knowingly conducted the transactions on behalf of third-parties for the purpose of concealing and disguising the nature and source of the unlawful proceeds in exchange for a portion of the funds involved in each transaction.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI and USPIS. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank R. Maderal.
The investigation and prosecution of this case are a prime example of the efforts being made to combat financial crimes in South Florida. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida will continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Dennis G. Sartain, Tax Evasion and Money Laundering, Florida 2008 · Florida
- Patrick Merrill Brody, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Utah 2012 · Florida
- Joseph M. Palazzo, Mail Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Wire Fraud, Ohio 2011 · Florida
- Clarence Cornwell, Bank Fraud and Money Laundering, Ohio 2010 · Florida
- Joseph Palazzo, Mail Fraud and Money Laundering, Ohio 2024 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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