Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Freddie Wilson to 8 years and 6 months in federal prison for theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. The court also ordered Wilson to forfeit a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro and approximately $8,700, which are traceable to proceeds of the offenses, and entered a money judgment against him in the amount of $39,197.72.
Wilson was found guilty by a jury on July 11, 2013.
According to court documents, Wilson was a licensed bail bondsman who ran Against All Odds Bail Bonds, Inc. in Tampa. In June 2012, Wilson opened an account in the name of Against All Odds, at a local bank, under the guise that he was a check casher. Within a three month period, he deposited over $318,000 in U.S. Treasury income tax refund checks that were issued as a result of fraudulently filed federal income tax returns. Wilson used the identities of deceased, elderly, and disabled victims to deposit the checks. Wilson spent all of the money on personal expenses, including the purchase of the 2011 Camaro, mortgage payments, expensive restaurants, hotels, and large dollar transactions at a casino.
In January 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at Against All Odds Bail Bonds, and agents seized the Camaro and approximately $8,600 that remained in a bank account from the fraudulent tax refunds. Wilson subsequently obstructed the criminal investigation by taking records that were seized during the search warrant and failing to return them to the government.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
