Florida man sentenced for leading $100M tax-refund "fraud factory"

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-man-sentenced-for-leading-100million-tax-refund-fraud-factory/

April 7, 2016

A man described by a Florida federal judge as the boss of a $100 million-plus "fraud factory" that used thousands of stolen identities to illegally obtain income tax refunds was sentenced Thursday to nearly 20 years in prison.

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Watson said Decoste was arrested in 2015 on similar charges in the Atlanta area and appeared to brag in recorded jail phone calls there about his abilities to steal.

"They don't call me the Money King for no reason," Decoste said on one recorded call in which he told another person details of using stolen identities on tax forms.

Decoste also created a purported rap label called GroundUp111 as a cover for the fraud business, Watson said. Other defendants were listed as officers of the so-called company, which did not produce any music.

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