Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-14-16 Online Edition

Features
Sale Of Tax Refund Checks Gets Woman 3 Years In Prison
Man Dies In Fire At Mobile Home
A Gibsonton man died in a fire Monday night. The fire took place at 11608 East Bay Road.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Fire Depart- ment, the fire department received a call around 8:30 p.m., pertaining to the fire.
When firemen arrived at the scene, they found a dou- ble wide mobile home fully engulfed and smoke coming from inside it. The firemen were forced to work from out- side the structure to bring the fire under control because of
the fire and heat.
Firemen fought the blaze
for more than an hour before bringing it under control. While searching the home, they found the body of a de- ceased man inside. The vic- tim’s name has not been released.
The fire is currently under investigati0n by the Hillsbor- ough County Fire Investiga- tors, State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The cause of the fire is also under investigation.
Highway Patrol Looks For Aggressive Drivers
The Florida Highway Pa- trol launched their “Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks” (TACT) campaign on October 7th. It will end on October 20th.
The campaign is dedicated to safety and educating mo- torists about the dangers of aggressive driving. State Troopers are concentrating on passenger vehicles and tractor trailers.
The Florida Highway Pa- trol remains committed to saving lives and reducing the number of commercial vehi-
cle crashes. We can all do our part in reducing traffic crashes by being cautious, pa- tient, and courteous while driving, especially around big trucks and buses,” Colonel Gene Spaulding, Director of the Florida Highway Patrol said.
During the campaign, troopers will be looking for car and truck drivers who dis- play aggressive driving behav- ior such as following too closely, speeding and unsafe lane changes.
On Wednesday, a Tampa woman learned that she will serve a prison sentence for her role in a tax fraud scheme. Her co-defendant in the case was sentenced last month.
U. S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Ms. Barbara Barr to 37 months in prison. Ms. Barr, 37, entered a guilty plea on the charges of theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft on July 28, 2016. Judge Whittemore also entered an $8,000 forfeiture money judg- ment, which represents the proceeds of the crime.
Court documents revealed that Ms. Barr and her co-de- fendant, Ms. Tiana Lise Williams, sold two stolen fed- eral income tax refund checks valued at more than $40,000 to a confidential informant for $8,000.
According to the plea agree- ment, the scheme that landed both Ms. Barr and Ms. Lise Williams in federal prison took place last year.
The document revealed that on March 5, 2015, Ms. Barr gave Ms. Lise Williams the two checks to be sold to a third party, who turned out to be a confidential informant. Both of
BARBARA BARR
... Sentenced to 3 years, 1 month in federal prison
the checks were legitimate tax refunds made payable to differ- ent people, but had been inter- cepted, and never received by the intended recipients.
The two women met the confidential informant on March 12, 2015, at which time the confidential informant pur- chased both checks for $8,000. After the transaction was com- pleted, law enforcement took both women into custody.
During the interview, Ms. Lise Williams admitted that she sold the checks to the in- formant and that she had re- ceived both of them from Ms. Barr.
During her interview, Ms. Barr initially denied having any knowledge about the scam.
TIANA LISE WILLIAMS ... Sentenced to 2 years, 4 months in federal prison
However, she later told officials how the money would be dis- tributed.
Ms. Lise Williams was to retain “a few hundred dollars” and give the remainder to Ms. Barr, who would turn over $6,000 to her source who had given her the checks, officials said.
Ms. Lise Williams, 31, pleaded guilty to theft of gov- ernment funds and aggravated identity theft on March 2, 2016.
Last month, District Judge Elizabeth Kovakevich sen- tenced Ms. Lise Williams, to serve 2 years and 4 months in jail. The Court also entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $8,000, in the case.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A