MIAMI – A murder suspect pled guilty on Monday for his role in a stolen identity tax refund scheme, the Department of Justice announced.
Lineten Belizaire pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims and one count of aggravated identity theft, officials said.
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According to the plea documents, beginning in mid-2011 and 2012, Belizaire was involved in a scheme to use stolen personal identification information to file fraudulent and unauthorized tax returns. Investigators said he claimed the refunds on debit cards.
Belizaire exchanged victims' personal identification information via text message, authorities said.
During a traffic stop conducted on Jan. 31, 2012, law enforcement said they found notebooks and papers containing personal information on more than 1,000 victims and approximately 40 prepaid debit cards, including some of the identities exchanged by Belizaire.
More than 80 fraudulent tax returns using stolen identifications were electronically filed from the IP address belonging to the defendant, authorities said.
According to investigators, video from ATMs show Belizaire withdrawing money on multiple occasions from debit cards loaded with fraudulent tax refunds.
Belizaire is also suspected of killing a baby and two women.