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Preparers Among 40 Charged in ID Theft Dragnet

The owners of three tax preparation companies were among 40 individuals charged this month for their alleged involvement in the use of stolen identifications to claim federal tax refunds. Douglas Michael Young and his wife, Nicole Young, who operated the companies, Supreme Tax and Young Professional Services, were accused of obtaining IDs and filing returns that claimed refunds without the knowledge of those individuals. In a separate case, the operators of the firm, Tax Professors, Frantz Pierre, Terry Pierre and Christmanie Bissainthe, were accused of filing claims that cause 1,000 pre-paid debit cards to be sent to the business.


Young, 41, is also known as Douglas Pierre and his wife, age 42, as Nicole Pierre and Nicole Pierre Smith. The two reside in Miramar, Fla., and were indicted along with Jeffrey Andre Young, Jr., 31, and Ernest V. Charles, 37, both of Miami; and Joseph Bshara, 27, and Siham Benabdallah, 23, both of Miami Shores, Fla. They were accused to charging the unwitting taxpayers a fee for preparation services and deducting those from the refunds. The remainder of the refunds would be deposited in a bank and converted into personal checks and deposited into accounts controlled by the other participants in the scheme. Each of those indicted face charges of conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft.

In the case of Miami residents, Frantz Pierre, 32, of Parkland, Terry Pierre, 28, and Christmanie Bissainthe, 32, an indictment alleges they submitted about 338 phony returns seeking $2.2 million in refunds that were issued to Tax Professors on pre-paid debit cards. The Internal Revenue Service paid about $1.9 millions in refunds for these claims. The three were charged with conspiracy to submit fraudulent claims to the government, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Among the other individuals who have been indicted separately were several accused of stealing and trading stolen IDs in order to file returns seeking refunds. These included use of stolen IDs of deceased individuals and of Puerto Rican residents who are not required to file federal income tax returns. In four separate indictments, five individuals were indicted on charges that they were employees of a local health care provider and used their access to patient records to steal IDs. The indictments do not give provider's name or state if all worked at the same facility.

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