Tag: Q1 2015
Jamaican Lottery Scammer Barrett Extradited to Florida
OPA-LOCKA, FL – Damion Bryan Barrett, 28, arrived in Opa-locka, Florida today, the first Jamaican citizen ever extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to a predatory international lottery scheme. Barrett is accused of systematically defrauding elderly Americans out of thousands of dollars with the false promise of lottery winnings. A 38-count indictment in…
Caty Gets 8½ Years for Tax Fraud Scheme
TAMARAC, FL – Nick Caty, 44, is headed to federal prison for 8½ years after pleading guilty to a brazen identity theft and tax refund fraud scheme that bilked the IRS out of nearly a million dollars. Caty was sentenced to 102 months, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $876,215.00…
Broward Residents Guilty of Tax Fraud
Three Broward residents have pleaded guilty to preparing false tax returns for their clients, according to an announcement made by Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). Steven Tidas, of Tamarac, Sylvanie Junior Pierre, of Lauderdale…
Miami Medicare Scam Nets Ten, $12.5M Stolen
MIAMI, FL – Ten individuals are facing federal charges after a brazen $12.5 million Medicare fraud scheme was exposed in South Florida. The indictment, unsealed today, details a network of patient recruiters and company owners who allegedly bilked the system by offering kickbacks for fake home health care services. U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, alongside…
Florida Dealer Pleads Guilty to Coral Trafficking
KEY WEST, FL – Curtis W. Waters, 53, of Weeki Wachee, Florida, has confessed to illegally plundering South Florida’s reefs, entering a guilty plea today in U.S. District Court for trafficking in protected marine life. The case, a grim example of environmental exploitation for profit, centers around the illegal sale of approximately 150 specimens of…
Miami Seafood Firm ‘True Nature’ Hooks $1M Fine in Labeling Scam
MIAMI, FL – A Miami-based seafood wholesaler, True Nature Seafood, LLC (TNS), is reeling after being slapped with a hefty $1 million penalty and five years of probation for a brazen scheme to mislabel imported fish. The company pleaded guilty to federal charges related to violations of the Lacey Act, a law designed to combat…
Miami Man Sentenced for $321K Social Security Fraud
Miami Man Sentenced for $321K Social Security Fraud MIAMI – Emmanuel A. Adeife, a Miami resident, has been sentenced to 76 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in identity theft schemes involving fraudulent Social Security benefits and income tax refunds. Adeife pleaded guilty to one count of access…
Rabuffo’s $49.6M Mortgage Fraud: Trio Sentenced
MIAMI – Miami’s Domenico “Dom” Rabuffo isn’t the only one behind bars in his $49.6 million mortgage fraud scheme. The DOJ announced yesterday that Rabuffo’s ex-wife, Mae Rabuffo, has been sentenced to 14 years for her part in the elaborate scheme, while two recruiters, Raymond E. “Ray” Olivier and Curtis Allen Davis, were each handed…
Miami Woman Gets 36 Months in Tax Fraud Scheme
MIAMI, FL – Crystal Booker, 31, of Miami-Dade County, will spend the next three years in federal prison for her participation in a brazen scheme to steal identities and file fraudulent income tax returns. U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn handed down the 36-month sentence today, followed by three years of supervised release. Booker previously…
Tax Refund Scheme Nets Millions: Two Down in Miami
MIAMI, FL – Two South Florida men are facing serious time after a federal jury convicted them today in a sprawling tax refund scheme that bilked the IRS out of millions. Herve Wilmore Jr., 29, of Aventura, and Delvin Jean Baptiste, a/k/a “Doo Doo,” 29, of Miramar, were found guilty on multiple counts related to…
