A Miami-Dade gang leader's taste for expensive jewelry fueled an identity theft ring that was busted up Friday, authorities said.
Ralph Celestin, 25, was arrested on fraud and theft charges after he allegedly masterminded a scheme that resulted in dozens of fraudulent IRS claims and big payouts, North Miami Beach Police said.
Celestin is the recently promoted leader of the "Money Avenue" gang, police said. He ordered other gang members to target wealthy victims, steal their IDs and bring it all back to his apartment to get the scheme off the ground.
The crew would then fabricate income tax returns and file them online. Then Celestin would have the IRS pay out the return to an account associated with Walmart gift cards, police said.
When police raided Celestin's apartment, they found notebooks with the names and personal information of thousands of potential victims.
They also collected more than $200,000 in jewelry, $10,000 in cash, and 60 pre-paid Walmart cards, some with the tax return payouts already loaded onto them. Police also confiscated a handgun and an AK-47.
Investigators think the gang also stole medical records to get personal information for the scam.
