PANAMA CITY — Two Panama City men were convicted Wednesday after a six-day trial of running an identity theft and tax fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Versiah M. Taylor, 33, and Tracy L. Collier, 48, both face up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 after a jury found them guilty of multiple counts of tax fraud, wire fraud and identity theft. Both will face a two-year minimum mandatory sentence for the identity theft convictions that must be served consecutively to any other sentence Judge Richard Smoak decides to impose during a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 7.
Collier was incarcerated when he disguised Social Security numbers and birthdates of other inmates as legal case citations in mailings to Taylor, who used the information to file false income tax returns seeking refunds totaling more than $500,000 between September 2011 and August 2012.
Prosecutors also announced the sentencing of a New York man to seven years in prison for his role in an unrelated scheme to defraud the IRS.
Angel Done, 54, will also have to pay restitution to the tune of $245,747.32 in conjunction with the four other people involved in a conspiracy to bilk more than $19 million in undeserved tax refunds.
Blaine Johnson, 62, of Marianna received an identical sentence during his hearing Dec. 19, as did fellow conspirators Wilson Calle, 55, of New York, and Diana Gonzales, 63, of Miami. Wilfredo Rodriguez, 53, of Miami, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and must pay $160,490.93 in restitution.
“As the number of greedy offenders willing to steal identities and tax dollars has grown, so has our ability to track, investigate, arrest and prosecute these cases, effectively and cooperatively,” U.S. Attorney Pamela Marsh said in a statement announcing the sentences. “We are pursuing those engaged in these schemes, with intensity, and we are ready for tax season.”