Houston – In a brazen scheme to scam the government, Tangela R. Jackson-Lezeau, 34, and Kerry Lionel Ruffin, 31, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
According to court records, Ruffin obtained stolen personal identifying information (PII) from a Fulton County, Ga., employee who had received the information from Rance Hunter, 29, of Atlanta, Ga. Hunter had access to the sheriff’s office database including names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of arrestees, inmates, and employees.
Ruffin, of Atlanta, acted as a conduit, funneling the stolen PII to co-conspirators in Houston. From 2010 through 2013, Ruffin’s co-conspirators used the stolen PII to file thousands of fraudulent tax returns claiming more than $12 million in refunds. The National Treasury paid out more than $6 million before the scheme was discovered.
Jackson-Lezeau was employed as a postal carrier in Port Saint Lucie, Fla. She was recruited into the scheme and paid for allowing addresses on her delivery route to be used by the co-conspirators as locations where the fraudulently obtained tax refunds could be sent. After gathering the mail containing the refund debit cards, Jackson-Lezeau sent it via express mail to her co-conspirators in Houston.
The scheme was discovered when the Internal Revenue Service records showed that the tax refunds generated by the fraudulent returns were often deposited onto reloadable debit cards and mailed to addresses under control of the conspirators.
Hunter previously pleaded guilty in a companion case and is set for sentencing on Oct. 8, 2014. Co-conspirator Calvin Shelton, a postal carrier in Atlanta, pleaded guilty on May 21, 2014, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and seven counts of aggravated identity theft for his part in the scheme.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison accepted the guilty pleas today and has set sentencing for Sept. 3, 2014. At that time, Ruffin and Jackson-Lezeau face up to 20 years imprisonment for the conspiracy charge. Ruffin also faces another mandatory two years for the aggravated identity theft, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Both convictions also carry a possible $250,000 maximum fine. They were permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Related Federal Cases
- Stuart C. Cole, Mail Fraud, Extortion, Money Laundering, St Pete Be… · Georgia
- Michael Scott Calhoun, Wire/Mail Fraud, OK, 2023 · Texas
- Shannon Tecoko Mays, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Texas, 2012 · Texas
- James Pavlounis, Social Security Administration Fraud and Tax Evasi… · Texas
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Miami FL, 2023 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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