Jermaine Winters, Wire Fraud, Identity Theft, Florida 2012

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Tax Refund Fraud Scheme Exposed in Panama City

In a shocking revelation, two individuals, Jermaine Winters, 39, of Coleman, Florida, and Rosetta Presley, 23, of Chipley, Florida, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft in connection with the electronic filing of false federal income tax returns.

According to the pleas, Winters and Presley conspired to file fraudulent tax returns using the stolen identities of assisted-living facility residents at the Dogwood Inn in Bonifay, Florida, clinical laboratory patients at Sun Laboratory Services in the Tampa, Florida area, and others, in an attempt to steal more than $118,000 from the United States Treasury.

Refunds issued on the fraudulent returns were loaded onto prepaid debit cards mailed to addresses in the Northern District of Florida. The scheme, which spanned from July 2011 to July 2012, has left many wondering how such a large-scale operation went undetected for so long.

Winters and Presley face a maximum 20 years’ imprisonment for wire fraud, and a two-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft that must run consecutively to any other sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for July 1, 2015, before United States District Judge Richard Smoak at the United States Courthouse, 30 West Government Street, Panama City, Florida.

The case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Chipley Police Department, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gayle Littleton.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is committed to protecting the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States.

The office strives to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.

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