Page 37 - Florida Sentinel 9-16-16 Online Edition

Crime
Man Given 8 Years For Tax Fraud Must Repay $230,000
On Monday, a federal judge handed down a prison sen- tence to a Tampa man. He was also Court ordered to pay $230,005 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to court docu- ments, 41-year-old Andre Dwight Stewart entered a guilty plea in a plea agreement on June 21, 2016.
District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell sen- tenced Stewart to serve eight years and five months in prison for theft of government property and aggravated iden- tity theft related to the filing of false federal income tax re- turns using stolen identities.
Officials said Stewart and his co-conspirators attempted to claim more than $600,000 by filing fraudulent federal in- come tax returns.
According to court docu- ments, on July 11, 2013, offi- cers with the Tampa Police Department searched a vehi- cle in which Stewart was a
ANDRE DWIGHT STEWART
passenger. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement officers recovered a red Swiss Gear laptop bag containing computers and notebooks, all of which belonged to Ste- wart.
They also located Ste- wart’s wallet, which con- tained five reloadable debit cards. Three of the cards were in Stewart’s name. All of the cards had been loaded with
fraudulently obtained tax re- funds. The officers also recov- ered ATM images that showed Stewart withdrawing cash using these debit cards, inves- tigators said.
During the investigation, technicians recovered Ste- wart’s fingerprints on various pages of a composition note- book that contained 47 pieces of personal identification in- cluding their names, social se- curity numbers in the bag belonging to Stewart.
Officials discovered that at least nine income tax returns were filed in 2011 using this information.
Stewart’s fingerprints were also found on the inside cover of a Mario Kart/Wii themed notebook recovered from the computer bag.
Agents identified approxi- mately 27 pieces of personal information belonging to oth- ers in the notebook. Four fraudulent income tax returns had been filed in 2012 using this information, officials said.
Teenager Charged With Attempted Murder
DEVONTE MEDINA .....charged with attempted second-degree murder.
EL’JOHN WELLS .....survived shooting and identified Medina as the shooter.
On Monday, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies charged 16-year-old Devonte Medina with attempted sec- ond-degree murder and aggra- vated battery with great bodily harm (firearm) from an inci- dent that occurred in August.
On August 8th at 10:25 p.m., Medina reportedly went to 8701 Progress Boulevard to pick up two acquaintances. He waited in the driver’s seat of the vehicle while the two people approached.
El’John Wells, 17, was walking through the area when he approached the vehicle, be- cause he is friends with the two people Medina came to pick up. Medina is also known to Wells and the two passengers, being referred to by authorities as witnesses, police said.
When Wells approached the rear passenger door, which was open, witnesses said Me-
dina fired at Wells, who was struck on the right side of the chest, the left wrist and the right side of his face. Medina fled the scene on foot with the firearm, according to deputies.
On August 9th, Medina was arrested on an unrelated charge. When he was located, deputies said he was the only person sitting in a vehicle. In- side the vehicle, deputies found a handgun. An interview was conducted with Medina with the consent of his mother.
After being advised of his rights, deputies said Medina told them he was inside the ve- hicle at the time of the shoot- ing, and in possession of the handgun.
Witnesses and Wells iden- tified Medina as the person who fired the shots at Wells police said.
Teacher Charged With Lewd And Lascivious Conduct
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reports that Michael Geist, 31, was a teacher at Rogers Middle School who reportedly pro- vided a student with a smart phone. He allegedly set up ap- plications on the phone, re- questing the female student to have sexual communications with other students that in- cluded sending nude pictures. Geist reportedly requested the student take sexually ex- plicit pictures and video of herself in sexual situations.
In May 2016, staff at
MICHAEL GEIST
Rogers Middle school were
made aware of the allegation and notified authorities. An investigation was initiated and Geist resigned from the school when the investigation began.
During the investigation, detectives seized the cell phone for evidentiary pur- poses. On September 12th, Geist was arrested on a war- rant for lewd and lascivious conduct solicitation.
The investigation is contin- uing as more charges may be filed later.
Person Of Interest Arrested In Dismembered Body Case
OLIVIA DIGGS Dismembered Body Found In Lake Underhill
RAFAEL GONZALEZ .....being held as person of interest.
After authorities conducted a four-day search at an Or- lando home, a person of inter- est was arrested Monday in the death of Olivia Diggs, a homeless woman whose body was found dismembered in Lake Underhill in August.
Authorities have arrested Rafael Gonzalez, 46, on charges of destruction of evi- dence after his Dorado Avenue home was searched. Prior to the search, police had served a search warrant for phone records that led them to his home.
According to investigators, Diggs and Gonzalez met on
a bus and exchanged phone numbers.
A detective said evidence lead them to Gonzalez’ in- volvement in the case that was found in a room he was living in.
Gonzalez has been identi- fied only as a person of inter- est in the case, and authorities said he is currently on federal probation for kidnapping.
The evidence collected from Gonzalez’s home will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime lab for further testing before any additional charges may be filed.
PAGE 22-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016