Frankie Jermaine Anderson of Miami, Florida was arrested recently he was accused of filing fraudulent tax returns, news sources report. The charges come through a criminal complaint filed through the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. Anderson, 40, is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, theft of government money or property, and aggravated identity theft. It is unclear whether he is being held on bail bond. Reports did not specify whether Anderson has hired a lawyer.
According to reports, detectives arrested Anderson on November 28, 2012, during which time the detectives found 35 U.S. Treasury checks, worth around $119,165.60, in his possession. Detectives say one of the checks had been issued in the name of a deceased person. It is currently unclear how Anderson obtained the fraudulent checks or if he stole the identities himself to create the checks.
The criminal complaint says that between February and June 2012, fraudsters filed more than $12 million dollars at a check-cashing store in Perrine, Florida called J&S Taxes. Of those fraudulent transactions, reports say Anderson cashed the majority of the fraudulent checks. It is not clear whether the people who allegedly cashed the remainder are also being investigated and/or prosecuted.
The criminal complaint goes on to say that Anderson used the money obtained in the fraud to purchase two homes, each valued at around $250,000. One of the homes was for Anderson, the other his mother, sources say. It is not clear whether Anderson's mother was aware of the purported origin of the funds.