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Rockville Brothers Indicted for Identity Theft
In a brazen scheme, two brothers from Maryland have been accused of using stolen personal information to file false tax returns and collect refunds. Ewdy Jose Olivo, 28, of Rockville, and Juan Manuel Olivo, 30, of Hyattsville, allegedly used the identities of Puerto Rican residents to prepare and file false income tax returns from Maryland, seeking refunds that totaled as much as $4,950.
The brothers, who operated Oligil Tax Services at 8549 Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring, are accused of stealing personal identifying information, including social security numbers and birth dates, from the victims. Many of the victims were residents of Puerto Rico who were not required to file federal income tax returns. The Olivos allegedly prepared false income tax returns in the victims’ names and filed them electronically with the IRS from Maryland.
The indictment alleges that from April 2007 to January 2010, the Olivos requested that the IRS mail tax refund checks to addresses controlled by them, which they would then deposit into their bank accounts. The amount of individual refunds claimed ranged from $1,562 to $4,950.
“IRS Criminal Investigation has made investigating refund fraud and identity theft a top priority,” said Sheila Olander, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington DC Field Office. “We are aggressively pursuing identify thieves and working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in bringing to justice those who harm and steal from the American taxpayer.”
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of $88,960 seized on April 10, 2012, from the defendants’ tax office and the home of Juan Olivo. The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and for each of 11 counts of wire fraud. They also face a mandatory minimum of two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed on each of six counts of aggravated identity theft.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the IRS Criminal Investigation for its work in the investigation and thanked Assistant United States Attorney Robert K. Hur, who is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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