Rashad Lamond Anderson, 23, of Tampa, Annecia Bellandra Larkins, 23, and Tavin Gernard Larkins, 23, both of Havana, and Almecia Endelease Pillers, 21, of Quincy, were sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Mark Walker after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft charges. The sentences were announced today by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The government’s evidence showed that between November 2011, and July 2012, Rashad Anderson, Annecia Larkins, Tavin Larkins, and Almecia Pillers conspired to cash United States Treasury checks they obtained using stolen personal identifying information in fraudulent income tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Anderson delivered the fraudulently obtained Treasury checks to Annecia Larkins, who was employed as a clerk with the United States Postal Service in Midway, Florida. Annecia Larkins then converted the fraudulently obtained Treasury checks into Postal Money Orders (PMOs), keeping $2,000 for each Treasury check she negotiated before delivering the remaining PMOs to Anderson.
During the course of their scheme, Annecia Larkins issued 685 PMOs from her negotiation of seventy-eight fraudulently obtained Treasury checks, totaling $625,924.94. In an effort to further conceal the fraud, Annecia Larkins enlisted the assistance of her husband, Tavin Larkins, and her sister, Almecia Pillers, to deposit her share of the proceeds into their respective bank accounts.
United States District Judge Mark Walker sentenced Rashad Lamond Anderson to 40 months in prison on the conspiracy and theft charges and a 24 month consecutive sentence on the aggravated identity theft charge for using stolen taxpayer identities. In addition to this 64 month total prison sentence, Judge Walker also sentenced Anderson to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $625,924.94 in restitution.
Judge Walker sentenced Annecia Larkins to 24 months in prison on the conspiracy and theft charges, and a 24 month consecutive sentence on the use of stolen taxpayer identities for a total of 48 months in prison. Judge Walker also sentenced Annecia Larkins to three years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $625,924.94 in restitution.
Tavin Larkins was sentenced to 12 months in prison on the conspiracy and theft charges and to three years of supervised release, and Almecia Pillers was sentenced to 12 months of probation on the conspiracy and theft charges. Both were ordered to pay $625,924.94 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Marsh credited the success of this prosecution to the joint efforts of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody.
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida