A postal worker and his pilfering partners used a phony tax-return scheme t🐟o steal more than $1 million from the government by duping the I꧅RS into issuing fraudulent checks delivered by the crooked letter carrier, federal authorities said on Thursday.
Oscar Lopez, 36, used his route iౠn The Bronx to cash in on a check scheme with ties to Puerto Rico, officials🎶 said.
Under the alleged plan, Lopez’s partners stole ﷽identitiesℱ from residents of Puerto Rico, who don’t pay federal income tax on money earned there, and prepared bogus tax returns with addresses along Lopez’s route in The Bronx.
When the ch♛ecks went out ꦗbetween 2010 and 2012, Lopez intercepted them and delivered them to his cronies in exchange for a portion of the cash, according to court papers.
“As a taxpayer and a United States Postal Service employee, I find the allegations against the defendant disturbing,” said Philip Bartlett, inspector-in-charge of the New York Office of the US Posꦐtal Inspec𒁃tion Service.
“I have little tolerance for those who would use their position of ๊public trust to f🔥acilitate criminal activity.”
Lopez was arrested Thursday and charged with conspiring to steal governmen🏅t funds, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison, and one count♛ of theft of government funds, which carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison.
He was released on a $100,000 personal-recognizance bond and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Aꦇug. 3.
His lawyer, Donald Yannella, declined to comment.
In one instance, a return was filed for ♊the 2010 tax year using a Social Security number issued in Puerto Rico but of a resident said to be living in The Bronx. The IRS issued a tax-refund check of $2,306.
Au🌠thorities said Lopez picked up the check and handed it over to a partner, who deposited it into a bꦏank account.
The partner later became a cooperating witn🍸ess after pleading guilty to a federal charge.
Officials said such scams usually involve crooks who use Social Security number🐻s assigned to people from Puerto Rico because it is less likely that tax reওturns would already be filed from those people.
Lopez’s partners also allegedly profited from tax refunds that were directly deposi🐲ted in accouꦰnts they set up.
Lopez decl𒁏ined to comment as he left the courtroom.