FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A South Florida woman convicted in an identity theft and tax fraud ring faces a potential maximum prison sentence of 351 years behind bars.
Trial testimony showed that 36-year-old Alci Bonannee of Fort Lauderdale was the leader of a ring that filed some 2,000 fraudulent tax returns over a two-year period. Those fake returns sought about $11 million tax refunds, some of which was paid.
Prosecutors said Tuesday that Bonannee obtained much of the personal information used in the returns from a nurse at a local hospital.
A jury convicted Bonannee of 33 separate counts including identity theft, wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government. B
Two others pleaded guilty and face maximum prison sentences of 10 and 12 years, respectively. Bonannee will likely get less than 351 years.
