Contact Palm Beach Business.com by phone: 561 450-8258. By email.

Broward man gets prison for fraudulent tax refund scheme

By Palm Beach Business.com

FORT LAUDERDALE — A Miramar man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a scheme to use stolen identities to fraudulently collect income tax refunds.

Luis Enrique Ledee Bernard, also known as Luis L. Bernard,  21, also must serve three years of supervised release, plus pay $22,000 in restitution.  In December, Bernard pleaded guilty to one count of theft and government funds and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Bernard was one of 40 South Florida residents charged in 20 separate cases as part of a crackdown on identity theft in October. Authorities charged Bernard with depositing nine tax refund checks fraudulently obtained by using the stolen identities of at least four dead people. Proceeds from the checks were directly deposited into Bernard’s bank account.

South Florida is the leading metro area nationally for identity theft.

 

---

---

---

---

---

---

---