BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, the U. S. Attorney’s Office unsealed a criminal complaint charging a Probation Officer and another man with submitting fraudulent income tax returns. If convicted each faces 10 years in federal prison.
Law enforcement officials charged Corey A. Coley, Sr., and Albert E. Moore, Jr., with scheming to defraud the government by submitting the income tax returns and using the money for their own benefit.
Coley, who was a Juvenile Justice Probation Officer, is alleged to have obtained the identities of the victims from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice records.
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Wansley Walters said, “I am outraged by the allegations of this blatant betrayal of trust, and I want to send a clear message that this type of behavior absolutely will not be tolerated, by close of business today (Thursday), the employee in question will be terminated.
“There are a number of policies in place regarding access to sensitive youth information, and I hold DJJ employees to standards of excellence. Taking advantage of those who’ve entered the juvenile justice system is shameful. I want to assure the victims, their families, and public that we are re-evaluating current policies and procedures related to youth information and we are committed to promptly addressing any vulnerabilities discovered through that process.” Coley was terminated from his job on Thursday.
According to court documents, beginning in January 2012 through October 2012, Coley, Moore, and other co-conspirators engaged in a conspiracy to defraud the U. S. Treasury Department.
The defendants applied for and received reloadable debit cards in the names of other people, including current and former individuals on probation in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. They also used the names and identity information of deceased people.
The personal information of the juveniles was obtained illegally from the juvenile database and through a website that listed the information of deceased people.
Law enforcement learned about the illegal activity after receiving a telephone call from a woman who admitted she was involved in the scheme in September 2012. The woman told police that she initially obtained identity information from Moore, but as some point, Coley allegedly began providing the information. She said she was allowed to keep some of the money derived from the fraudulent income tax filings.
The investigation also revealed that from July 2012 through October 2012, at least 35 tax returns claiming nearly $250,000 in refunds were filed from Moore’s home computer. Bank records show that money orders that represented proceeds from tax returns were deposited in Coley and Moore’s bank accounts.
The woman provided investigators with a list of names from a notebook. Police determined that at least 90 names in the ledger were those of individuals who were formerly or currently under the supervision of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Moore posted bond during his first appearance hearing. Coley was released on bond from the Pinellas County Jail on Friday.
