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Tax Preparer Jailed for $266,000 Stolen ID Refund Scam
A Port St. Lucie tax preparer has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for his role in a $266,000 stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Grimy Times has learned.
Ernst Pierre, owner of Tax Max, a Port St. Lucie tax return preparation business, was found guilty of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after a scheme to file false federal income tax returns using stolen identity information was uncovered.
According to the indictment and Pierre’s admissions as part of his guilty plea, from October 2009 through May 2011, Pierre filed false tax returns for clients of Tax Max, using the names and Social Security numbers of relatives of clients for whom he had prepared and submitted federal income tax returns as “dependents” on other client tax returns and on his own tax return.
Pierre used these dependents to fraudulently inflate tax refunds, netting himself over $266,000 in restitution to the IRS.
Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, praised the efforts of special agents of IRS-CI, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Justin K. Gelfand and Thomas J. Krepp, who prosecuted the case.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of identity theft and the importance of protecting one’s personal information.
Pierre was ordered to pay over $266,000 in restitution to the IRS as part of his sentence, a move that will likely bring some measure of justice to those affected by his crimes.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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