A Florida prison guard has pleaded guilty to charges associated with stealing personal information from state corrections databases and using it to file 182 fraudulent income tax returns to get refunds.
The U.S. Attorney Office in Tampa reports that 26-year-old Jerry St. Fleur pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors say St. Fleur stole personal information for current and former inmates by cutting and pasting the info from Florida Department of Corrections databases. St. Fleur, who worked at the Zephyrhills Correctional Facility, used the information to file fraudulent tax returns seeking refunds of more than $500,000.
The FBI, IRS and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office all participated in the investigation.
