Gregorie Garcon, 57, pled guilty for his role in a scheme involving the cashing of stolen tax refund checks.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Garcon pled guilty to one count of theft of public money, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641. As part of his plea agreement, Garcon agreed to forfeit $29,792 in U.S. currency.
According to court documents, Garcon purchased stolen tax refund checks from a tax return preparer for a percentage of the face value of the checks. Garcon then gave the checks to a co-conspirator who took the checks to a check casher. Unbeknownst to the co-conspirator or Garcon, the check casher was in fact an IRS undercover agent (UCA) who agreed to cash the checks for a fee of 35% of the checks’ face value. From March to June 2013, the co-conspirator provided the UCA with seventeen (17) stolen tax refund checks totaling $110,259.97. The UCA paid the co-conspirator $29,792 for these checks.
During an interview with IRS-CI Special Agents, Garcon stated that the tax return preparer gave him the stolen refund checks in exchange for Garcon’s agreement to find a way to cash the checks. Garcon admitted that the checks he received from the tax return preparer were the same seventeen (17) checks that Garcon gave to the co-conspirator, which were ultimately cashed by the UCA.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. At sentencing, Garcon faces a maximum statutory sentence of ten years in prison.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia E. Shick.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
