A former Bartow, Fla., bail bondsman pleaded guilty to federal charges of selling the personal information of 500 people with the intent of stealing their income tax refunds.
The Ledger of Lakeland reports 59-year-old Ronald Reed faces a mandatory two-year prison term, but could serve up to five years, after pleading guilty to the charges. Court records show Reed and three others intended to sell information to a buyer who would file the fraudulent income tax returns and split the refunds with them. The buyer turned out to be a confidential informant working for the government.
Reed accepted a plea agreement to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to traffic in unauthorized access devices. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop five related charges against him.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Topics Florida
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