Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-15 Edition

Feature
Two Former Police Officers Indicted For Tax Fraud
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Wednesday morning, two former Tampa Police offi- cers surrendered to federal authorities. They were later released on their own recogni- zance after appearing before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Jenkins Wednesday after- noon.
Mrs. LaJoyce Caldwell Houston, 49, and her hus- band, 54-year-old Eric Houston, were charged in federal court with conspiracy, theft of government property and money laundering.
Mrs. Houston is also charged with obtaining infor- mation from a protected com- puter with the intent to defraud and aggravated iden- tity theft.
The indictment also noti- fied the Houstons that the federal government is seeking a forfeiture money judgment of at least $239,116.91, which is considered proceeds of the crime.
According to the indict- ment, as part of her duties as a Tampa Police Sergeant, Mrs. Houston had access to local, state, and federal law enforce- ment databases, including the State of Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Data- base, known as DAVID.
Eric Houston was for- merly assigned to the Detec- tive’s Division as a Homicide investigator.
The indictment alleges that beginning in 2010, the couple conspired to obtain personally identifiable information using various sources, including the
RITA GIRVEN
law enforcement databases. The indictment also alleges that the couple then gave the information to Ms. Rita Gir- ven and others. It also alleges that the couple “knew the in- formation was being used to commit crimes that included filing false federal income tax returns, the receipt of fraudu- lently obtained tax refunds, establishing and using bank accounts in others’ names, and identity theft.”
The false tax returns were reportedly deposited onto re- loadable debit cards. Some of the funds were deposited di- rectly into bank accounts opened and maintained in their names and in the names of others. Some of the ac- counts were opened in the names of the victims of iden- tity theft, officials said in a press release.
The government contends that the money was used to make purchases, pay off lines of credit, purchase money or- ders, and cash was withdrawn from ATM machines.
Attorney Lyann Goudy, who is representing Mrs.
LAJOYCE HOUSTON
Houston said, “These are two individuals who had long and distinguished careers and now they are facing very seri- ous charges. We are looking forward to seeing the evidence they have in this case.”
Attorney Wade Whid- den is representing Eric Houston.
For several years, Ms. Rita Girven served as a Confiden- tial Informant for the Tampa Police Department. It appears to be the catalyst linking the Houstons and Ms. Tonia Bright to the alleged scam.
Officials said in her capacity
ERIC HOUSTON
as a Community Service Offi- cer, Ms. Tonia Bright had access to the department’s computer databases. Police also alleged finding a “sticky note” with the initials of D.A., along with her date of birth and social security number in- side Ms. Girven’s home.
An expert analyzing the handwriting on the note com- pared it to a sample of Ms. Bright’s handwriting. The expert reportedly found the handwriting to be the same as Ms. Bright’s.
Ms. Bright was allowed to retire from the Tampa Police
Department after 34 years of employment. She was in- dicted in September on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of ob- taining information from a protected computer, and four counts of aggravated identity theft related to her involve- ment in a stolen identity re- fund fraud (SIRF) scheme. The indictment also notifies Ms. Bright that the United States intends to seek a forfei- ture money judgment equal to the proceeds of the offenses.
Ms. Girven reportedly ob- tained information from other sources as well, including an- cestry websites, and other co- conspirators, officials said.
Investigators said Ms. Gir- ven admitted to receiving funds as a result of filing the fraudulent returns. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggra- vated identity theft in March 2015. She reportedly admitted to receiving $33,002.00 as a result of filing the false in- come tax refunds. Her sen- tencing hearing is scheduled for November 20, 2015.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 . FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A