Date: September 9, 2021 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Miami, Florida — A South Florida federal district judge sentenced a North Miami man yesterday to 38 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a sophisticated tax-fraud scheme that victimized hundreds of taxpayers and cost the U.S. Treasury over $450,000. From 2012 to 2015, Wesly Divers, used the stolen information of hundreds of victims to electronically file fraudulent tax returns in their names. In several instances, Divers filed fraudulent returns year after year in the names of the same victims. He masked his identity through sophisticated means, including using virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide his internet protocol (IP) address from IRS servers. During the course of the scheme, through thousands of fraudulent tax returns, Divers claimed roughly $1.5 million in tax refunds. Although the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") was able to detect and stop roughly $1 million of the fraudulent payouts, Divers received $454,121.72. His co-conspirator, 28-year-old Rony Dorismond, received $58,232 in tax refunds from the U.S. Treasury in the name of these victims. The majority of the fraudulent refunds were deposited into bank accounts that Divers admitted were opened in the names of victims of identity theft. Divers admitted to controlling these accounts and withdrawing funds for his own benefit. In addition to sentencing Divers to prison and supervised release terms, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola ordered him to pay $454,121.72 in restitution. Divers pled guilty on June 28, 2021, to conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Diver's co-defendant, Rony Dorismond was sentenced last year to 25 months' imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $58,232 in restitution. Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting United States Attorney, Southern District of Florida, and Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation ("IRS-CI"), Washington DC Field Office, announced the sentence. IRS-CI, Washington D.C. Field Office, – in particular, its Cyber Crimes Unit – investigated the case. IRS-CI's Cyber Crimes Unit investigates internet-based technologies that enable criminals to engage in illegal activity. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sajjad Matin and Deputy Chief Frederic "Fritz" Shadley are prosecuting the case.
