Page 44 - Florida Sentinel 2-3-17

Crime
Woman Who Got $340,000 Brothers Charged With
In Tax Fraud Gets 30 Months
Murder Of Tampa Woman
A federal judge sentenced a Tampa woman to 30 months in prison for federal income tax fraud. She pleaded guilty to the charges.
Ms. Reshawn Dennis,
28, of Tampa, appeared be- fore District Judge James Merryday at a sentencing hearing at 8:30 a.m., Thurs- day.
According to court docu- ments, Ms. Dennis admitted to filing at least 140 fraudu- lent federal income tax re- turns and received $341,973.10 from the U. S. Treasury Department.
While investigating the in- volvement of her sister, Ms. Tiki Dennis, in 2011, federal agents interviewed Ms. Den- nis. She was interviewed at her home on May 19, 2011.
During the interview, Ms. Dennis admitted to filing the fraudulent tax returns. She told the investigators that she had visited several websites to obtain the information of the individuals whose names she used to file the refunds. She told investigators that she claimed income of about $7,000 in the names of the victims and also claimed edu- cation-related expenses.
She usually claimed the
tax.com more than 250 times between March and May 2011. She had also visited ttlc.intuit.com more than 1,200 times during the same period.
Many of her victims were recently deceased. However, some were still living. Those individuals were interviewed and none had given Ms. Dennis permission to file federal income tax returns in their names, officials said.
Robbery Suspect Demands $40 From Clerk
ROBBERY SUSPECT
Detectives with the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice are searching for a man who robbed a convenience store early Thursday. The rob- bery occurred shortly before 1 a.m., at the BP Station, 10907 E. Highway 92, in Seffner.
According to police, the Black male entered the store and selected an 8-pack of Bud Light beer and a package of Pork Cracklins chips. He ap- proached the counter and placed his right hand into his pocket, insinuating that he had a firearm. The man told the clerk he would shoot if he didn’t get $40.
The clerk gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash and he fled the store on foot.
He is described as being 35-40 years old, weighing be- tween 180 and 200 pounds, between 6’ and 6’3” and pos- sibly had a scar under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a black “Jordan” zip up hoodie and red sweat pants.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to the identity and arrest of the sus- pects. Information can be re- ported anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873- TIPS, or online at www.crimestopperstb.com.
Information must be pro- vided to Crime Stoppers first to be eligible for the reward.
LEWIS JAMES SCOTT
JAMES LUIS SCOTT
EVELYN WOODHAM
RESHAWN DENNIS ... Sentenced to 30 months in federal prison
taxes on prepaid cards, but didn’t need the physical card to use the money. She could activate the cards online.
During the interview, Ms. Dennis turned over a green duffel bag that contained an HP laptop computer, a packet of Green Dot cards in the names of other people. Some of the cards did not have a person’s name on them, offi- cials said.
The duffel bag contained a complete list of the victims and a ledger. She also wrote “accepted” or “denied” by the name of each victim.
After obtaining permis- sion to search the bag, inves- tigators learned that Ms. Dennis had visited turbo-
st On November 1 , the body
of Ms. Evelyn Woodham, 26, was discovered in a ditch in Palm River. The investiga- tion has led to two brothers being charged with her mur- der.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, Ms. Woodham’s body was discovered in a ditch at the in- tersection of 20th Avenue South and 58th Street, South.
Detectives investigating the crime discovered that Ms. Woodham had been mur- dered in a mobile home at 2014 Warrington Way.
While investigating the arson, it was determined that the mobile home was the scene of the murder of Ms. Woodham. Police arrested Lewis James Scott, 28, and charged him with arson.
As the investigation con- tinued, detectives developed evidence that linked 22-year- old James Luis Scott, Jr.,
as a suspect in the murder. A warrant was issued for his ar- rest in December.
Detectives said Lewis James Scott and James Luis Scott, Jr., are brothers.
On December 17th, detec- tives charged Lewis James Scott with the additional charges of first-degree murder and accessory after the fact in the murder of Ms. Wood- ham.
On January 31st, Tampa Police encountered James Luis Scott, Jr., and took him into custody on the war- rant issued by the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with first-de- gree murder, tampering with evidence, and tampering with a witness.
Lewis James Scott, Jr.,
is being held at the Hillsbor- ough County Jail. His bond was set at $30,000. James Luis Scott is being held without bond.
Man Gets 15 Years On Drug, Gun Charges
Earlier this week, a fed- eral judge sentenced a man to several years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty on August 5, 2016.
District Judge Eliza- beth A. Kovachevich sen- tenced 29-year-old Jamarian Oliver, of Tampa, to serve 15 years in federal prison. Oliver pleaded guilty to selling crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court docu- ments, in October 2015, de- tectives from the Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office began investigat- ing Oliver. On two separate occasions, in October and November, Oliver sold crack cocaine to the undercover de-
JAMARIAN OLIVER
tectives. In December, Oliver sold
the detective a .22 caliber firearm. At the time of the sale, Oliver had been con- victed of several felonies and could not own or possess a gun or ammunition under federal law.
UNCLE SANDY
2, 18 Be careful of the examples for others, 37, 39, you never know who is imitating your actions. 25, 45.
PAGE 22-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017