Toyosi Alatishe, Identity Theft, Maryland 2019

Baltimore Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Stealing Identities to Get Tax Refunds

A Baltimore man has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for stealing the identities of hundreds of victims to obtain over $2.2 million in tax refunds.

Toyosi Alatishe, 49, also known as Felix Victor Johnson, was sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for his role in two separate schemes to obtain fraudulent tax refunds. Alatishe was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,287,959.67.

The schemes, which took place between 2012 and 2015, involved Alatishe using the personal information of law-abiding citizens, including disabled residents of group homes where he worked, to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS and the State of Maryland.

Alatishe's first scheme occurred between 2012 and 2013, during which he misused his position as a caretaker for residents of a group home to file fraudulent tax returns using their personal information. He also obtained access to the personal identifying information of other mentally disabled Maryland victims, who lived at group homes run by a company where Alatishe's ex-wife worked.

In his second scheme, a conspirator in Florida used the identifying information of a Florida accountant to fraudulently purchase debit cards from First View Financial. The co-conspirator asked First View to mail 2,000 prepaid debit cards to him at an address in Tampa, Florida, which was actually the address of Regus Management Group, LLC, a company that provided virtual office services to businesses. All mail received by Regus in the victim accountant's name was forwarded to Alatishe's address in Columbia, Maryland.

Alatishe was convicted on all 16 counts on January 24, 2019. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and other law enforcement officials.

This case is a reminder of the importance of protecting personal information and being vigilant when it comes to tax refund scams. We urge all citizens to be aware of these types of scams and to report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

Alatishe's crimes had a significant impact on the victims, who had their personal information stolen and their tax refunds fraudulently obtained. The restitution ordered in this case will help to compensate the victims for their losses.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division, and the Howard County Police Department.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/fraudster-sentenced-11-years-federal-prison-stealing-identities-hundreds-victims