Tax & Accounting News

Man Sells Thousands of Children's Identities, Sent to Prison For 12 Years

Man Sells Thousands of Children's Identities, Sent to Prison For 12 Years

A New York man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after selling the identities of thousands of children.

According to an official release from the United States Department of Justice, Ariel Jimenez (AKA "Melo") was sentenced by United States District Judge Sidney H. Stein in "connection with his leading role in a broad tax fraud and identity theft conspiracy and his actions to launder the proceeds of his crimes."

The DoJ confirms that beginning in 2007, Jimenez opened a tax business in the Bronx. At the outset, he obtained the stolen identities of thousands of children, ultimately selling the minors' personal details to his clients for between $1,000 and $1,500 apiece.

The clients then fraudulently claimed those children as dependents on their tax returns, receiving tax breaks for which they were not legally eligible. Jimenez personally pocketed $1,000 for every stolen identity, while additional proceeds were split among his co-conspirators. 

Some years, Jimenez earned upwards of $1 million for selling over 1,000 identities. In addition to the illegality of the operation itself, Jimenez was effectively stealing from the children's legitimate caretakers. The DoJ's release points out "the people actually taking care of these children had much-needed tax refunds delayed and were required to prove their actual connection to their own dependent children."

Jimenez himself funded a lavish lifestyle with the money he earned from his scheme, spending money on jewelry, cars, real estate, and gambling.

The 38-year-old was originally arrested in November 2018 along with eight co-conspirators: his sisters Evelin Jimenez and Ana Yessenia Jimenez, Ireline Nunez, Leyvi Castillo, Cinthia Federo, Guillermo Arias Moncion, Marcos De Jesus Pantaleon, and Jose Castillo. 

All of the defendants in this case have pled guilty to the charges brought against them. 

In addition to Jimenez's 12-year prison term, the DoJ states that he "was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $14,580,000 and to forfeit three residential properties located in the Bronx. Jimenez was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $44,769,906."

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams weighed in on the sentencing:

 “Ariel Jimenez was the leader of a long-running fraudulent tax business that cheated the Government of tax refunds by stealing the identities of vulnerable children and using those identities to falsely claim tax credits on behalf of his clients. Today’s sentence holds Jimenez accountable for brazenly selling the identities of children to his customers for his own profit.”

It has not been confirmed where Jimenez will serve his prison time, but it could potentially be at the infamous Rikers Island complex where former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg will spend five months as part of a plea deal.

What do you think about the Ariel Jimenez case?

You Might Also Enjoy:

share this post
Search for matches...
Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

Recommended Professionals

In the face of economic uncertainty, TaxBuzz is the industry's most up-to-date tax information.

Join 60,000 who get our weekly newsletter. No spam.

Need help selecting a firm?

Use our specialized search engine and get matched to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

Related Posts

Latest Posts