Tracy Mitchell, Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, Alabama 2013

Tracy Mitchell and nine others face serious charges for their alleged roles in a $20 million stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) scheme, authorities announced this week. The defendants were indicted for their involvement in a large-scale identity theft ring that operated between January 2011 and December 2013.

According to the superseding indictment, the defendants filed over 7,000 false tax returns that claimed in excess of $20 million in fraudulent claims. The group obtained stolen identities from various sources, including a hospital on Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, where Tracy Mitchell worked and had access to the identification data of military personnel, including soldiers who were deployed to Afghanistan.

Tracy Mitchell and her daughter, Latasha Mitchell, also obtained stolen identities from an Alabama state agency. Keisha Lanier obtained stolen identities from the Alabama Department of Corrections. Talarious Paige and Patrice Taylor worked in a call center for a Columbus company and stole identities.

The defendants directed anticipated tax refunds to prepaid debit cards, to U.S. Treasury checks, and to financial institutions, which in turn issued the refunds via checks or prepaid debit cards. The group coordinated the cashing of the refund checks by sending various text messages among themselves.

Tracy Mitchell, Dameisha Mitchell, Latasha Mitchell, Keisha Lanier, Tameka Hoskins, Sharondra Johnson, Cynthia Johnson, Mequetta Snell-Quick, Talarious Paige, and Patrice Taylor are all presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, a statutory maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison for each wire and mail fraud count, a statutory maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison for each access device fraud count, and a mandatory 2 year sentence in prison for each aggravated identity theft count.

The case was investigated by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Army – Criminal Investigation Division. Trial Attorney Michael Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia provided assistance in this matter.

The defendants are also subject to fines, forfeiture, and mandatory restitution if convicted. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting sensitive information and preventing identity theft.

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