New Britain Man Found Guilty On Stolen ID Charges

BERLIN, CT — A New Britain man was found guilty by a federal jury in Bridgeport in a stolen identity tax fraud case, according to prosecutors. Amaury Vladimir Reyes-Batista, 43, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was found on guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; eight counts of theft of public money, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

Reyes-Batista was found not guilty of 13 additional counts of theft of public money.

The case stems from an investigation into individuals who obtained fraudulent U.S. Treasury tax refund checks using stolen identities.

Prosecutors said the investigation revealed that Reyes-Batista and an associate obtained federal tax refund checks for other people through the black market.

Reyes-Batista then deposited the checks into a bank account controlled by his associate. Prosecutors said that in January 2012, Reyes-Batista deposited 21 refund checks totaling approximately $124,000 at TD Bank branches in New Britain, Berlin, and Southington.

When he was arrested Feb. 3, 2015, prosecutors said he provided a false name, date and place of birth, and Social Security Number to law enforcement. The identifying information Reyes-Batista provided belonged to an individual living in Puerto Rico.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2019.

Reyes-Batista was detained from his arrest until April 19, 2018, when he was released on a $100,000 bond.

The investigation revealed that Reyes-Batista was removed to the Dominican Republic in 1996 after a conviction in New York state court for attempted heroin distribution. He illegally returned to the U.S. in 1999, according to prosecutors.