As the administrative hearing in FTC v. LabMD gets closer to resuming, there have been two developments to note. The first is that LabMD has moved to disqualify Commissioner Edith Ramirez, alleging that she has been “irrevocably tainted and compromised” by her involvement in the FTC’s response to the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of Tiversa. I do not…
Category: ID Theft
California Ex-Con Pleads Guilty of $220,000 Income Tax ID Theft Fraud
Cathy Locke reports that Edwin Ludwig IV, 34, a former inmate of the California Correctional Center in Susanville, has pleaded guilty to obtaining the personal information of other inmates to enable others to obtain fraudulent tax refunds. Read more on CPA Practice Advisor. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office does not clearly indicate whether the…
IL: Former Miami-Dade prison guard sentenced to 3 years for stolen identity refund fraud using inmates’ information
A former Miami Dade County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prison guard was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Norgle for his role in a scheme involving theft of prison inmates’ identities which were used to file false tax returns. Cornelius Crumity pleaded guilty in May, 2014 to one…
CA: Pittsburg residents charged with stolen identity refund fraud
OAKLAND –A federal grand jury indicted Michael Johnson and Nicole Berry with conspiracy to file false claims, filing false claims, theft of public money, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and effecting fraudulent transactions with access devices. According to the indictment, between February 2012 and May 2012, Johnson and Berry, both from Pittsburg, California, conspired to…
TX: Killeen Trio Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Refund Fraud Scheme
Three Killeen, TX, residents were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a tax refund scheme with an estimated intended loss of $1.8 million. United States District Judge Lee Yeakel sentenced 34-year-old Albert Powell, 32-year-old Paris Stephens and 34-year-old Ronnie Cole to 54 months, 36 months and 18 months in federal prison, respectively. Judge Yeakel…
TX: Former Methodist Healthcare employee sentenced to more than 10 years; stole patient info for unemployment benefits
Guillermo Contreras reports on a case I don’t recall seeing before: A judge sentenced a former Methodist Healthcare worker to more than 10 years in federal prison Thursday for stealing patient identities and using the information to claim unemployment benefits. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Andrea Nicole Brooks, 30, to serve 97 months for…