Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Weldon Malveau (41, Tampa) yesterday pleaded guilty to theft of government property. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, between January 2011 and March 2012, Malveau was involved in a scheme to file false and fraudulent income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to generate large refunds that were deposited onto debit cards. When law enforcement officers arrested Malveau on March 15, 2012, he had 26 debit cards in the names of different individuals in his possession, along with ledgers containing names and social security numbers. The investigation revealed that the IRS had received fraudulent tax returns and issued refunds in the names of many of those individuals, totaling approximately $342,563, which was traced back to Malveau. An analysis of the debit cards in Malveau’s possession revealed that he had purchased a 2010 Porsche Panamera for $85,000 with the proceeds from his scheme. As part of the plea agreement, Malveau agreed to forfeit the Porsche.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam M. Saltzman.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
