TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA– Roosevelt Williams Jr., 25, of Miami, Florida, has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in December 2016 for crimes arising from the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Consecutive sentences were imposed of 36 months in custody on each of 12 counts of fraudulently taking federal funds and 24 months for using the identities of other persons in the scheme. Williams was also ordered to pay $207,882 in restitution.
Evidence presented in court reflected that in October 2011, Williams was caught on FSU’s campus with 14 debit cards in other people’s names. In July 2013, he was caught with 18 additional debit cards issued to people other than himself, as well as a loaded pistol and $14,300 in cash near the Atlanta airport. He was stopped in Atlanta for driving more than 30 mph above the speed limit. Each of the debit cards reflected a fraudulent attempt to obtain a tax refund based upon another person’s identity. A laptop computer and documents seized in Atlanta contained more than 100 stolen identities, as well as numerous visits to tax return filing websites and to websites where details of identity could be verified.
U.S. Attorney Canova applauded the investigative agencies whose joint efforts led to this successful prosecution, including the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the Florida State University Police Department, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office (Georgia). Mr. Canova noted that this was a timely reminder of the importance of filing accurate and honest income tax returns, and that efforts to steal federal funds have serious consequences. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael T. Simpson.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
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Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer