Gerald Duverger, Jean Louis, and Jeaneno Florent, all of North Miami, Florida, were arrested for improperly claiming huge tax returns, a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida indicates. Duverger and Florent are each charged with two counts of filing false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims; Louis is charged with one count of filing false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims. Duverger and Louis are also facing one count of wire fraud. It was not immediately clear whether the defendants qualified for bail bond. The press did not specify an attorney for the defendants.
According to the indictment, the defendants filled out their tax forms to make it look as though they made multi-million dollar salaries with taxes withheld, and were therefore entitled to tax returns valued at tens of thousands of dollars. Duverger allegedly claimed he worked for Capitol Records Inc. in 2012, reporting an $8.7 million income. The Department of Treasury sent Duverger a tax refund check for $613,043. In a similar scheme, the indictment claims Louis's 2012 tax return in 2012 stated that he worked for Warner Bros. Distribution Corp. and earned $9.8 million. On July 3, 2013, the Department of Treasury deposited a tax refund of around $603,883 into a bank account controlled by Louis.
Citibank and University Bank, the banks of the two defendants, flagged the large tax refunds as suspicious and notified the Miami Beach Police and U.S. Secret Service. Attorney spokesperson for the Southern District of Florida commented on the investigation, saying he "thanked IRS-CI, USPIS, USSS, and Miami Beach Police Department for their work on this case."
An investigation by the United States Secret Service later revealed that Duverger works in the lawn care and landscaping industry. His actual salary is unknown. It is not clear where Louis works or how much he makes.
The details of Florent's case were not immediately available at press time. Reports say Florent filed fraudulent tax claims in 2011 and 2012. However, it is unclear how much money those claims sought and how much money the Department of Treasury sent Florent as a result. According to the indictment, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud.
While some people are accused of pretending to have high-paying jobs, some people settle for attacking others who are on the job. Michael Howard Flora of Fort Walton Beach wasn't happy with county workers trimming trees near his home Monday, so he attempted to scare them off with a shotgun, a police report alleges. Flora, 59, was apprehended by police on charges of aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill. Reports did not say whether Flora had qualified for bail. It is unclear whether he hired legal representation.