A former traveling preacher will spend more than 13 years in federal prison for his part in defrauding about 2,750 people of faith.
The Rev. Allen D. Miles, 58, formerly of Canton and now of Little Rock, Ark., had pleaded guilty to a list of charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Miles, 58, was accused of obtaining personal identifying information from people of faith by misleading them into thinking he could help them obtain money from a government stimulus fund program. He then, without permission, passed the info along to people who filed false income tax returns that claimed credits for which the victims didn’t qualify, prosecutors said.
The scam operated from March and July 2011 and victimized almost 1,000 people in Northeast Ohio alone.
Miles collected a $125 commission from each refund, prosecutors said. His accomplice, Zinara M. Highsmith, collected $275 — which she used to pay other schemers. The rest of the money was passed to the victims. In total, Miles collected $240,000.
Highsmith, 37, of Fayetteville, Ga., was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison for her part. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Another accomplice, Ve Sayavong, of Jonesboro, Ga., was sentenced to almost three years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon said their actions were contemptible.
“These defendants preyed on faith — people’s faith in their ministers and faith in their government,” she said. “These defendants betrayed that faith to get rich and now will be held accountable.”
Kathy Enstrom, the IRS’ criminal investigation special agent in charge, agreed.
“Today’s sentencings should send a clear message to would-be criminals — you will be caught and you will be punished,” she said. “Identity theft is a contemptible modern-day scourge and we will continue to pursue criminals who prey on innocent victims.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ngfalcon.