14 DAY TRIAL // A prison guard at the Miami Dade County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (MDCDC) used his position to steal names and social security numbers of 50 inmates for filing fraudulent tax returns that amounted to about $356,000 / €327,000.
The operation was carried out by 39-years-old Cornelius Crumity, who is no longer employed by MDCDC, and accomplice David Mobley from Illinois, for more than three years, from January 2008 until April 2011.
Crumity was caught and pleaded guilty in May 2014. On Thursday, the District Court sentenced him to 36 months in a federal prison and one year supervision after release.
The fraudster prepared false documentation that included the forms that were processed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), fake wage and employer information. An announcement from the US Attorney’s Office in Northern District of Illinois says that the each of the tax refunds was generally between $5,600 / €5,140 and $6,100 / €5,600.
In some cases, the duo would receive the money on debit cards under their possession and used the illegal proceedings for personal benefits.
“Few crimes cause greater harm to society than law enforcement corruption,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hayes in the Government’s Sentencing Memorandum. “These ill effects are compounded when committed in a correctional institution, sending a message to inmates that directly contradicts the government’s goals of rehabilitation and reform,” he added.