Miami Woman Charged with Possessing Personal Identifying Information in Furtherance of Identity Theft Tax Refund Scheme

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Kevin Montagna, Acting Chief of the Coral Springs Police Department, announced the filing of a criminal complaint charging defendant Dorothy Boulin, 29, of Miami, with possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3). Boulin made her initial appearance in court today before U.S. Magistrates Judge Peter Palermo.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on December 29, 2011, Boulin sold an Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) to a confidential source (CS). An EFIN is a number issued by the Internal Revenue Service to allow a tax preparer to file multiple tax returns from one location. Boulin allegedly sold the EFIN knowing that it would be used to file fraudulent tax returns using stolen personal identifying information of victims. In exchange, Boulin expected to be paid 20 percent of the money that the CS would obtain from filing the fraudulent tax returns.

According to the complaint affidavit, Boulin told the CS that she had personal identification information of military personnel, which could be used to file fraudulent tax returns. On that same day, Boulin allegedly logged on to a tax software program called OLT PRO using EFIN number 603445. To execute the scheme, Boulin allegedly provided the CS with more than 100 photocopies of stolen driver’s license identification cards, Social Security cards, and printouts of more than 200 names, dates of birth, and social security numbers.

Subsequent investigation revealed that on January 17, 2012, six returns were filed under EFIN number 603445, claiming a total of approximately $30,471 in refunds. On January 19, 2012, an additional eight returns were filed under EFIN number 603445, claiming a total of approximately $34,517 in refunds. Some returns were filed in the name of United States marines.

Mr. Ferrer thanked the FBI and the Coral Springs Police Department for their work on the case. Mr. Ferrer would also like to thank the City of Miami Police Department, Internal Affairs Division, Hialeah Police Department, Internal Affairs, and Customs and Border Protection, Office of Internal Affairs. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.