Three Local Residents Sentenced, Two Indicted For Federal Tax Fraud

October 29, 2014

Three local residents, including a Cantonment man, have been sentenced to federal prison and two more have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in related tax refund fraud and identity theft schemes.

Tuesday, 29-year old Rex E. Robinson, Jr.of Cantonment was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson to 75 months in prison after having pled guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft charges stemming from his participation in a scheme to defraud the IRS by filing over 100 false tax returns using other people’s identities, the majority of whom were deceased.

Robinson was found in possession of approximately 566 individuals’ identities, 179 of which were actually used to file the fraudulent returns attributed to the scheme. As a result of his scheme, the IRS mailed out $87,324 in fraudulently obtained tax refund checks to Robinson’s various addresses, which Robinson was ordered to pay back in restitution as part of his sentence.

Ariyanna S. Lampley (previously Schuyler J. Nickerson), 32, of Pensacola, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers to 75 months in prison after having pled guilty to theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. Lampley forged a deceased person’s signature and deposited into her account one of the fraudulent tax refund checks obtained by Robinson, knowing that Robinson had obtained it by filing false returns.

Lampley was ordered to pay back $212,792.96 in restitution to the IRS not only for the check she deposited for Robinson, but for the over 70 additional fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks she had cashed for others since 2010.

This past July, Brian Richardson, 28, of Cantonment, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson to 12 months and one day in prison after having pled guilty to aggravated identity theft. Richardson stole the personal identifying information of over 40 elderly hospital patients from his employer and provided it to Robinson for use in the tax fraud scheme.

In addition, on October 21, a federal grand jury indicted Richard J. Beverly II, 25, and Andrey C. Cook, 33, both of Pensacola, on mail fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in a related but separate case. The indictment alleges Beverly filed approximately 40 false tax returns to get over $85,000 in tax refunds using the identities of deceased persons and disabled patients living at a group home in Pensacola, which were stolen and provided by Cook. Both defendants have pled not guilty, and trial is currently scheduled for December 1, 2014, before Senior U.S. District Judge Lacey Collier.

These cases resulted from investigations by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Kim.

Comments

7 Responses to “Three Local Residents Sentenced, Two Indicted For Federal Tax Fraud”

  1. Mike J. on October 30th, 2014 1:38 pm

    Possibly new residents of the Saufley Federal Prison Camp!

  2. melodies4us on October 29th, 2014 8:18 pm

    Wow. He used to be a good guy.

  3. No Excuses on October 29th, 2014 3:16 pm

    These fines do not go away. Since they will be going to federal prison, they will be working a job with a little pay (like $.12 an hour.) Their fines will be assessed into their commissary and inmate accounts, and a monthly payment will be deducted.
    After they are released, they will still have to pay. Part of their release requirements, while on probation, will be that they have gainful employment, or they violate and are sent back behind the fence. Those wages will be garnished as well. The whole amount? Maybe not, but they’ll have to pay enough to hurt.
    Hopefully, that answers at least part of the question about how they will pay. Believe me, they don’t get away without paying a cent in the federal system. Additionally, any real property (cars, houses, etc) that can be connected to those funds will be confiscated and sold. So they don’t get any benefit from the crime they committed now or when they are released.

  4. BT on October 29th, 2014 8:39 am

    How do you suppose a convicted felon is going to pay $212,792.96 in restitution?

  5. bewildered on October 29th, 2014 6:53 am

    The stipulation should be that these criminals are NOT released until every penny of the ordered restitution is made. In reality none of them will ever pay back a dime. These sentences are laughable. After they are released they will receive welfare, EBT, etc, and come up with a new illegal scheme to supplement their income.

  6. Don on October 29th, 2014 5:49 am

    The sentence imposed for these crimes are laughable! all are felons,most multiple time with Nickerson leading the pack at SEVEN times convicted felon all separate cases,all cases given light sentences mostly with probation for a 3rd time habitual offender?…..public records

  7. Lilly on October 29th, 2014 5:29 am

    It is about time they catch some of these thiefs. That is just a small amount compared to how many are frauding the system. Just think about voting fraud. They have no morals.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News