Tampa Man Sentenced For Conspiracy To Commit COVID-Related Unemployment Insurance Fraud And Identity Theft
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida dated Wednesday, May 22, 2024, announcing that U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced Mehdi Tazi, 29, of Tampa, to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and a substantive count of aggravated identity theft. It states that he pleaded guilty on February 2, 2024, and was ordered to pay $1,070,647 in restitution jointly with co-conspirators. The release lists previously sentenced co-conspirators Steve Aloysius Moodie Jr., Tyree Wingfield and Melinda Sue Hernandez. According to court documents cited in the release, from approximately June 2020 through April 2021 the conspirators obtained other people's personal identifying information without their knowledge for COVID-related unemployment insurance claims.
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Press Release Tampa Man Sentenced For Conspiracy To Commit COVID-Related Unemployment Insurance Fraud And Identity Theft Wednesday, May 22, 2024 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Mehdi Tazi (29, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and a substantive count of aggravated identity theft. Tazi entered a guilty plea on February 2, 2024. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Tazi to pay $1,070,647 in restitution, jointly with his co-conspirators who were previously sentenced for the below listed offenses. Name (Age, City) | Charges | Sentence Imposed Steve Aloysius Moodie Jr. (36, Tampa) | Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft | 5 years, 10 months Tyree Wingfield (26, Dade City) | Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and aggravated identity theft | 5 years, 10 months Melinda Sue Hernandez (35, Sun City Center) | Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and aggravated identity theft | 3 years, 6 months According to court documents, from approximately June 2020 through April 2021, the conspirators obtained personal identifying information (PII) of others without their knowledge. Hernandez was employed as a medical assistant at a Tampa Bay area hospital and gained access to patient PII, which she shared with Moodie. Thereafter, Tazi, Moodie, and Wingfield used that PII and that of others to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies to obtain UI benefits. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debit cards issued in the names of others. Tazi, Moodie, Wingfield, and Hernandez then used the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs and for other personal items. Law enforcement calculated the total intended loss caused by the fraudulent UI claims to be between $1.5 million and $3.5 million. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo. In March 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who were not ordinarily eligible for benefits. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Updated May 22, 2024 Topics Coronavirus Disaster Fraud Financial Fraud Identity Theft Tax Component USAO - Florida, Middle Related Content Press Release Valrico Man Sentenced For Role In Aiding In The Preparation Of False Tax Return Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Abdul Q. Aziz to 15 months in federal prison for aiding in the preparation and filing of numerous false... June 14, 2024 Press Release Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud Involving Stolen Mail Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Frank Anthony Acanda (26, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Acanda faces up to 30... June 13, 2024 Press Release Kissimmee Auto Dealer Charged With 24 Counts Of Wire Fraud Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Hani Wafik Kaakati (43, Kissimmee) with 24 counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Kaakati... June 13, 2024
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