Date: December 19, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Louisaint Jolteus, Michael Jean Poix, Monika Shauntel Jenkins, Alain Jean-Louis, Louis Noel Michel, and Jeff Jordan Propht-Francisque to federal prison terms for their roles in a RICO conspiracy that involved cyber intrusions and millions of dollars of tax fraud. Andi Jacques, Dickenson Elan, and Vladimyr Cherelus will be sentenced next year for their involvement in the conspiracy. The details are as follows: Louisaint Jolteus, of West Palm Beach, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2022, to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced to 9 years and 2 months in prison and was ordered to pay $2,928,841 in restitution. Michael Jean Poix, of West Palm Beach, pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison and was ordered to pay $130,771 in restitution. Monika Shauntel Jenkins, of Hollywood, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 87 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $3,384,913 in restitution. Alain Jean-Louis, of Miami, pleaded guilty on August 31, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, and was sentenced to 102 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,554,907 in restitution. Louis Noel Michel, of Hollywood, pleaded guilty on July 25, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, and was sentenced to 7 years, 3 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,941,533 in restitution. Jeff Jordan Propht-Francisque, of Pompano Beach, pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023, to RICO conspiracy, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison and was ordered to pay $2,574,235 in restitution. Andi Jacques, of Greenacres, pleaded guilty on August 23, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, and is scheduled for sentencing hearing on January 10, 2024. Dickenson Elan, of Clearwater, was found guilty on November 6, 2023, to RICO conspiracy and is scheduled for sentencing on February 7, 2024. Vladimyr Cherelus, of Lauderdale Lakes, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2023, to RICO conspiracy, and is scheduled for sentencing on January 10, 2024. According to court documents, from 2015 through 2019, these individuals and numerous other conspirators—including a now-deceased conspirator who is referenced in the indictment as RICH4EVER4430—banded together to engage in a sophisticated cybercrime and tax fraud scheme. RICH4EVER4430, Jean-Louis, Jenkins, Michel, Propht-Francisque, and Cherelus used the dark web to purchase server credentials for the computer servers of certified public accounting (CPA) and tax preparation firms across the country. They used those server credentials to remotely and covertly commit computer intrusions and exfiltrate the tax returns of thousands of taxpayers who were clients of those CPA and tax preparation firms. Jacques, Elan, Jean-Poix, and Jolteus were involved with creating and operating fraudulent tax businesses to file false tax returns in the names of thousands of victims. They also registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) preparer tax identification numbers using the names and information of identity theft victims, to make it appear that those victims were the individuals who were filing false returns in bulk. RICH4EVER4430, Jean-Louis, Jenkins, Michel, Propht-Francisque, Cherelus, and other conspirators then partnered with Jacques, Elan, Poix, Jolteus, and others to form an enterprise through which they filed thousands of false tax returns in the names of more than 9,000 identity theft victims. The conspirators directed the resulting tax refunds to debit cards and bank accounts that they controlled. Also, to make the businesses appear more legitimate, members of the enterprise opened bank accounts in the names of these fraudulent tax businesses to receive fake "tax preparer fees." As the RICO conspiracy evolved, members of the enterprise "hijacked" the IRS-issued identification numbers of CPA and tax preparation firms and used those identification numbers to file scores of additional false tax returns. Members of the enterprise filed false self-prepared tax returns using stolen identities as well. Altogether, the enterprise claimed more than $45 million in false tax refunds over the course of approximately four years. The actual loss to the IRS and the United States was estimated to be more than $7 million. "The recent sentencings of these co-conspirators, highlights the unwavering dedication of IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners in combating cybercrime. Our determination remains resolute in pursuing individuals who exploit technology as a means to commit unlawful activities," said Tara K. Reed IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge. "These sentences serve as a stark warning to potential wrongdoers that there is nowhere to hide, and IRS-CI will work tirelessly to bring you and your misdeeds to light." "This was a milestone investigation for the FBI because of the RICO cybercrime conspiracy," said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker. "It underscores the evolution of the cyber threat and how criminals are learning cyber tradecraft in an attempt to advance their criminal enterprises. However, this case also demonstrates how the FBI and our law enforcement partners are evolving our approach to investigations and prosecutions to continue to successfully disrupt cyber gangs." This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation in Orlando and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from IRS-CI in Minnesota and the FBI in Miami. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John M. Gardella and William S. Hamilton.
