Florida Men Charged With Using 700 Synthetic Identities To Exploit Covid-19 Relief Programs

Miami, Fl. (CW69 News at 10) – According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Miami federal prosecutors charged two Florida menwith bank fraud conspiracy for allegedly using synthetic identities to commit crimes, including defrauding banks and stealing over $3 million from COVID-19 relief programs.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, beginning around 2017, Jean Fleuridor, 41, of Broward County, Florida and Hasan Brown, 44, of Miami-Dade County, Florida, and their co-conspirators schemed to defraud a bank located in San Antonio, Texas.

They allegedly used approximately 700 synthetic identities, in addition to stolen identities, to create bank accounts and shell companies. According to the criminal complaint, fraudulent payments were made from accounts registered to these synthetic identities to accounts registered to defendants Brown and Fleuridor.

Charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.

From about April through July of 2020, members of the conspiracy allegedly utilized the already-established synthetic identities and associated shell companies and accounts to fraudulently apply for assistance under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a program established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act to help small businesses financially survive the pandemic. According to the complaint, defendants Brown and Fleuridor fraudulently sought and received over $3 million dollars in PPP relief, paid into accounts associated with the synthetic identities.

Synthetic identities combine stolen identity information, such as social security numbers, with fraudulent identity information, such as fake names and dates of birthCriminals create these synthetic identities and use them to open fraudulent bank and credit card accounts, and to make fraudulent purchases.

Related court documents and information appear on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case no. 20-mj-03472-AOR.

https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2020/08/31/florida-men-charged-with-using-700-synthetic-identities-to-exploit-covid-19-relief-programs/