Dozens Of Identities Allegedly Stolen By Beachwood Mom, Daughter

BEACHWOOD, OH — A mother and daughter were charged with stealing the identities of more than a dozen people, the Department of Justice and IRS announced Wednesday. The duo are also being charged for filing false tax returns.

Aesha Johnson, 40, and Brittany Williams, 23, have both been indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. “This pair stole people’s identities then used it to steal from taxpayers,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement.

Both mother and daughter were living in West Virginia when they allegedly decided to start using stolen identities to file false tax returns, seeking refunds. Johnson had acquired many of the stolen identities through a previous fraud scheme, the indictment said.

Johnson and Williams would use an address on E. 142nd St. in Cleveland as the address for their false tax returns. They would then communicate with each other using a code, referring to victims by numbers and using made-up email accounts, created in the names of the victims, when talking to the IRS, the indictment said.

Williams would then file the tax returns online, get a prepaid debit card in the name of the identity theft victims and ask the IRS to deposit the refunds onto those cards. Williams would then withdraw cash or make purchases using those cards, the indictment said.

The investigation into the mother-daughter duo was led by the IRS and Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation's Cincinnati office.

“Tax season is almost here and the indictment of Aesha Johnson and Brittany Williams for committing aggravated identity theft is a powerful reminder of what can happen when you decide to steal from honest taxpayers and the IRS,” Korner said. “Filing fraudulent tax returns in the names of other individuals may result in significant harm to those individuals whose identities were stolen, as well as a monetary loss against the U.S. Treasury."

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