[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Florida resident Aaron Troupe, 30, who was in the business of filing false tax returns using stolen identities, was sentenced to over five years in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. Troupe also had debit cards in his name that had been loaded with illegally obtained federal income tax refunds. He was ordered to pay $449,529.97 to the IRS.
For the years 2012 to 2018 Troupe, a member of the “Manche Boy Mafia” gang participated in identity refund fraud and credit card fraud.
Troupe’s fraud spree came to an end when a cleaning service found firearms, a laptop and notebooks in an abandoned property they were cleaning. They turned their findings over to the Tampa police, who were able to locate Troupe through a variety of methods, including his fingerprints.
For tax years 2011 to 2013, Troupe filed several false tax returns claiming refunds nearly 1.3 million. The IRS did not pay the total amount claimed, but still paid out $449,529.[/vc_column_text][us_image image=”1080″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
