PITTSBURGH – United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today the extradition of a Cuban national arrested in Venezuela for his alleged role in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Stolen Identity Refund Fraud case.
According to U.S. Attorney Hickton, in June 2015, Yoandy Perez Llanes, a Cuban national, was charged in a 21-count indictment with a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and United States Treasury, and using the stolen identities of UPMC employees to file false federal income tax returns in order to obtain unlawful tax refunds. Llanes and unnamed conspirators allegedly converted the unlawful tax refunds to Amazon.com gift cards, which were used to buy merchandise which was shipped internationally. All of these acts occurred generally between January and April, 2014. Llanes is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
Yoandy Perez Llanes was extradited to the U.S. yesterday. He made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Western Pennsylvania on Friday, August 12, at 10 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Robert C. Mitchell (Courtroom 9B). The government has requested Llanes’ detention pending trial.
“This case highlights the value of multijurisdictional partnerships in the apprehension of transnational cyber criminals, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy P. Burke, of the U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office. “This investigation and the resulting indictments demonstrate the Secret Service commitment to relentlessly defend the Nation’s financial infrastructure.”
“Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation strives to work with our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice---wherever they may be hiding. Today's legal action reflects our commitment to do so on behalf of the law abiding citizens of our country," said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge, Akeia Conner.
The IRS-Criminal Investigations, the United States Secret Service and the United States Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.