Walter Fambro Gets Nearly 4 Years for ID Theft Tax Scam

Walter Fambro orchestrated a cold, calculated scam that turned stolen identities into cold, hard cash—$326,133 of it ripped straight from the IRS. The Tampa man is now paying the price, sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme that preyed on both the living and the dead.

Fambro didn’t just file fake tax returns—he weaponized names, Social Security numbers, and personal data to impersonate victims, filing fraudulent claims under their identities. Court documents lay bare the operation: false returns filed, refund amounts inflated, and IRS deposits rerouted to bank accounts Fambro controlled. The scheme wasn’t random—it was systematic, exploiting vulnerabilities in the tax system for pure profit.

The victims? Real people whose information was hijacked—some unaware they’d been targeted, others already deceased. Fambro and co-conspirators didn’t care. They filed returns in their names, claimed refunds they never earned, and siphoned government funds into accounts they controlled. The total haul: $326,133 in fraudulent payments funneled through the IRS before the fraud was caught.

Fambro pleaded guilty on November 28, 2016, admitting to the charges without contest. His plea didn’t erase the damage. The court ordered full restitution—$326,133—to be paid back to the IRS, a sum that may never be fully recovered. For now, his sentence stands: 46 months behind bars, a rare moment of accountability in a crime that often goes undetected.

The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation led the probe, peeling back layers of deception to expose Fambro’s operation. Their work turned digital breadcrumbs into evidence, linking false filings, bank accounts, and personal data to one man who thought he could outsmart the system. He didn’t. He’s now another name in the federal docket of financial fraudsters who got caught.

Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer prosecuted the case, driving home the consequences of exploiting public institutions for personal gain. In a system built on trust, Fambro broke that trust for a quick score. He’ll spend nearly four years paying for it—time served not just for theft, but for the betrayal of the very system he tried to game.