Another Person Pleads Guilty In $1M Tax Refund Scam

One more defendant accused of belonging to a ring that used identities stolen from residents of Puerto Rican and elsewhere to obtain fraudulent tax refunds has pleaded guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

One more member of a ring that used stolen identities to get income tax refunds has pleaded guilty.
Photo Credit: *File*

Paul Milo

06/12/2019 4:25 p.m.

Wellington Feliz, 36, of the Bronx, was charged with theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.

Feliz admitted that he and the others in the scam received more than $1 million fraudulent income tax refunds using the stolen identities, which they used to fill out 1040 tax returns. The scammers falsified information such as wages earned and the amount of taxes withheld so as to guarantee a refund, authorities said.

In some cases, they had the refund checks mailed to addresses they controlled. In other instances, mail carriers were bribed to remove the checks before they reached their destinations.All told, Feliz admitted they received more than 180 checks.

The other participants in the scheme have already pleaded guilty, including two Newark residents, Angel Fernandez and Fausto Bernard, previously pleaded guilty.

Feliz is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

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