Tax Fraud and Identity Theft

By Rachel Morgan, Marketing

Unfortunately, we live in a world where dishonesty is not uncommon in the financial realm. Criminals are constantly on the prowl to make a fortune at the expense of the innocent. The following case of tax fraud is no exception.

On November 13, 2019, two Florida men, Maurice Marcellus and Ludrick Joseph pled guilty for committing tax fraud. The two men were found to have used stolen identities to file tax refunds using the personal information of students at a Miami college. They were sentenced to over 3 years in prison with 3 years of supervised release. Additionally, they were fined a joint restitution fee of $563,210 to be paid to the Internal Revenue Service.

The two could be considered a tax fraud “dream team.” Joseph worked as the manager and only registered agent at Capital Financial Management, LLC, a business specializing in tax preparation. Marcellus had worked as an academic advisor at the ATI College of Health in Miami. With Joseph’s tax knowledge and Marcellus’ access to students’ personal files, they were a dangerous combination. Between the two of them, they were discovered to have had on file “the names, addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers of over two thousand students.” With this stolen information, the two were able to file the unauthorized tax returns.

These two criminals were accused of tax fraud and identity theft, both major crimes. Their restitution fee and jail sentences reflect the severity of their actions. Luckily for the students whose personal information was compromised, law officials were able to investigate and put these criminal acts to rest.

In cases such as these where dishonesty occurs in the financial system, lie detection technology can be a valuable asset in the interrogation process. In the past, the polygraph has been the most widely used lie detection technology. However, in the past 10 years, a new innovation has surfaced, making lie detection technology quicker and more accessible than ever before. This technology, primarily known as EyeDetect®, uses highly sensitive
cameras to track pupil movements while a person performs a standardized test. With an 86% accuracy, EyeDetect® technology has proven to be a valuable asset for business and law officials around the world, holding people to their word through the truth in their eyes.

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Photo by Nadine Shaabana