The alleged fraud took place between June 2021 and February 2022, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Providence said in a statement Wednesday.Īn attorney representing Costa-Mota did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New York Walmart stores have had incidents of credit card skimmers in JulyĪ Connecticut man allegedly defrauded Home Depot of nearly $300,000 with a non-receipted return scheme, federal prosecutors say.Ĭharging documents allege that Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, 26, of West Hartford, Connecticut, walked into Home Depot stores in eight states, grabbed expensive doors and then returned them without a receipt in exchange for store credit.Ĭosta-Morta was detained without bail after a judge in federal court in Rhode Island entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. This state is facing $117M in losses because of toll cheats The owner of the check cashing store told Local 10 News by phone he followed the rules, confirmed the check was authentic with the IRS, claimed his thumbprint reader has a quality issue making copies, and couldn’t answer questions about the camera system freezing that day.Īs of now, the real Roberto Su may be out $24,509 dollars.Ĭopyright 2023 by WPLG - All rights reserved.Lowe's rehires woman who was assaulted while trying to stop alleged shoplifters He’s also contacted Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s office for help. “I’m totally frustrated and upset as to how the government officials have taken this.” “When you call there, A, you have to take 3 or 4 hours to get through, B, when you finally get someone on the phone, they treat you like dirt, like if you’re asking for a handout,” Su said. The Internal Revenue Service told Local 10 News in a statement that “federal employees cannot disclose tax return information,” basically, no comment. Local 10 News stopped by the store, but an employee claimed the owner wasn’t there. “They steal your ID, make charges against you, steal your money, there are federal insurances that cover these situations.” “I’m not asking for a handout I’m just asking them to do what is right, just like any other credit card company or any other bank,” Su said. Su said officials told him that their investigators said the signatures looked similar, to which he replied: “I looked at the signatures.the signature on the check looks like chicken scratch.” The Treasury Department also denied his appeal. “Based on the opinion rendered by the document analyst, your claim is denied and our file in this matter is closed.” “Your claim form, a copy of the check and supporting documentation were referred to the Questioned Documents Branch for examination and comparison,” their response to Su said. Uncle Sam’s response? “Your claim is denied.” Department of the Treasury investigators with signature comparisons to the one on the back of the check, police reports and a copy of the fake ID. It also said this case is inactive pending further investigative leads. The police report goes on to say the signature on the check was not legible and didn’t match the real Su’s signature on his driver’s license. It was useless.Ī manager at the store additionally told investigators that their camera system froze up that day. Su filed theft reports with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, where he lives, and in Palm Beach County, where the check was cashed.Ī police report said the suspect’s thumbprint taken at the check cashing store the day he cashed the check was smudged and couldn’t be used in the data system for comparison. Treasury and officials said it had already been cashed and provided him with this location. It all started earlier this year, when Su became suspicious when he didn’t receive the check. “I have a mailbox that is tamper-proof, with a key. It’s not clear how the suspect was able to get his hands on Su’s money. “I have never seen that person in my life,” Su said. Roberto Su is out $24,509 after a man walked into a Lake Worth check cashing store with a fake passport card containing Su’s information, but not his correct photo, and cashed the check. – A South Florida man says he’s hit roadblock after roadblock with the federal government trying to get his stolen tax return money back.
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