Tampa Man Convicted of Tax Fraud

Tampa Man Convicted of Tax Fraud

A federal judge in Tampa has sentenced Earl Rojelio Blanchett, Jr. to 10 years and 4 months in federal prison for his role in a tax fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Blanchett sold seven United States Treasury checks worth over $77,000 to undercover law enforcement agents in June and July 2013. These checks were issued as a result of tax returns filed in the names of individuals who were victims of identity theft.

The victims, who were unaware of the returns being filed in their names, either did not authorize the filing of those returns, the issuance and cashing of the resulting Treasury checks, and/or confirmed that the Treasury checks were fraudulently and falsely endorsed in their names.

Personal identifying information related to some of the stolen identities was found in a search of Blanchett’s residence, where he lived with his girlfriend. Thousands of other individuals’ personal identifying information was also found, along with notes about the filing of tax returns, debit cards, passwords, and user names.

The information totaled over $7 million, with nearly $3 million confirmed by the IRS.

Blanchett pleaded guilty to all 14 counts of the indictment on October 29, 2013. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $22,500.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.

RELATED: Two Men Convicted in Florida Hit Job to Silence Teenage Witness

RELATED: Lee County Duo Hit Stores, Robbed $600 in I-75 Spree