TALLAHASSEE, FL – Tangela Lawson-Brown, 41, of Midway, Florida, is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted yesterday of a brazen scheme to steal the identities of vulnerable nursing home patients and file over $1 million in fraudulent income tax returns. The verdict came after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Lawson-Brown, a former nurse at a Tallahassee nursing home between October 2011 and December 2012, didn’t stop at providing care. Authorities discovered a notebook containing the personally identifiable information (PII) of over 150 individuals during a search of her vehicle in January 2013, following the arrest of her husband. The chilling find included the details of 26 of her own patients – elderly and disabled individuals under her supposed care.
The Internal Revenue Service quickly uncovered the scope of the fraud. Lawson-Brown used the stolen PII to file 105 fraudulent 2011 income tax returns, including returns for 24 nursing home patients. While the IRS flagged many of the bogus claims, a staggering $141,790 in refunds were successfully disbursed to accounts controlled by Lawson-Brown. The total value of the attempted fraud exceeded $1 million.
Prosecutors demonstrated during the trial that the ill-gotten gains weren’t hidden, but brazenly used to fund Lawson-Brown’s personal life – paying her mortgage, covering car repairs, and financing other expenses. The timing of the fraudulent returns, filed within days of patients’ arrival at the nursing home, painted a damning picture of calculated exploitation. Many of the victims were left unaware their identities had been compromised.
U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova issued a stark warning following the conviction: “This case illustrates the vulnerability of elderly and disabled persons. Relatives and other caregivers should be alert to unauthorized tax returns, bank accounts, credit cards, and financial transactions, and should immediately report identity theft crimes to law enforcement agencies.” Lawson-Brown now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, 10 years for each count of theft of government funds and possession of unauthorized access devices, and an additional consecutive 2-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael T. Simpson led the prosecution. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 4, 2018, at 1:30 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee. This isn’t just a financial crime; it’s a betrayal of trust and a callous disregard for the well-being of vulnerable citizens.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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