Tampa Man Guilty of Role in $326,133 Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme
Tampa, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, Walter M. Fambro, a resident of Tampa, Florida, has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a massive stolen identity refund fraud scheme.
Between June 2011 and September 2013, Fambro was part of a scheme to file false and fraudulent income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service in order to generate large refunds deposited onto debit cards.
When law-enforcement officers arrested Fambro on September 1, 2013, he had 29 debit cards in the names of different individuals in his possession, along with a laptop computer, ledger sheets, and hospital patient records containing the personal identifying information of numerous individuals.
The investigation revealed that the IRS had received fraudulent tax returns in the names of many of those individuals which resulted in the delivery of fraudulent income tax refunds, totaling approximately $326,133.00, to debit cards that Fambro used or controlled.
According to court documents, Fambro faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count of theft of government funds and possession of unauthorized access devices. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, with the assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Defendant Name: Walter M. Fambro
Criminal Charges: Theft of government funds and possession of unauthorized access devices
City and State: Tampa, Florida
Date: Between June 2011 and September 2013 (crime date), September 1, 2013 (arrest date)
Sentence or Outcome: Faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count
Dollar Amounts: Approximately $326,133.00 in fraudulent income tax refunds
Related Federal Cases
- Kenitra Michelle Gilmer, Theft of Government Property, Florida 2012 · Florida
- Ruben Mangual-Aquino, Conspiracy to Traffic in Counterfeit Access Devices, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Kency Aime, Access Device Fraud and Identity Theft, Florida 2023 · Idaho
- Antonio Hernandez-Vilar, Possessing Unauthorized Access Devices, Georgia 2015 · Florida
- Jermaine Winters, Tax Refund Fraud and Identity Theft, Florida 2012 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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