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Brandywine Resident Receives Sentence for Federal Identity Theft and Fraudulent Bank, Wire, and Passport Activities – Southern Maryland News Net


Brandywine Resident Receives Sentence for Federal Identity Theft and Fraudulent Bank, Wire, and Passport Activities – Southern Maryland News Net

United States District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has sentenced Llyod Linwood Comer, 63, from Brandywine, Maryland, to 41 months in federal prison. He will also face three years of supervised release, with the initial seven months spent under home detention. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, passport fraud, identity theft, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited individual.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentencing alongside Acting Assistant Director of Investigations Joseph Jung from the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Colleen Lawlor, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) – Philadelphia Field Division.

According to Comer’s guilty plea, from 2019 to 2021, he and his co-conspirator Doreen Gilmore, also known as Doreen Flummerfelt, 57, engaged in fraud schemes utilizing stolen identities. They used victims’ names and identifying details to purchase vehicles and to open or attempt to open bank accounts and obtain bank cards.

The vehicles fraudulently acquired included a 2017 Ford Explorer financed for $34,710, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle financed for $20,320, another 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle financed for $29,612, and a 2017 Coachmen Leprechaun RV financed for $60,250. Additionally, Comer and Gilmore submitted a mortgage application under Gilmore’s mother’s name for $433,200 to buy a home in Brandywine, Maryland.

Over the course of several weeks, Comer and Gilmore sent multiple versions of the loan application to the lender, ultimately submitting the final signed application on May 26, 2020. They managed to secure a loan based on this application, which was approved based on the fraudulent information and documents provided by them.

Furthermore, Comer obtained a fake U.S. passport using information from Gilmore’s deceased brother. On December 13, 2019, he used this fraudulent passport to travel to Jamaica for a wedding.

On June 1, 2021, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Comer’s Brandywine home. During the search, they discovered numerous identification documents belonging to various victims, including information linked to Gilmore’s mother.

Additionally, agents recovered 13 firearms and over 6,600 rounds of ammunition during the June 1 search. Comer knowingly possessed these firearms and ammunition, which were proven through digital videos from electronic devices found at the residence.

The videos depicted Comer handling and firing some of the firearms at the Brandywine property. These firearms and ammunition are classified as such by federal law and were manufactured outside Maryland. Before June 1, Comer had a prior conviction for a crime that carried a prison term exceeding one year, and he had not had his civil rights restored, which he was aware of when he possessed the firearms and ammunition.

Gilmore has already been sentenced to time served followed by three years of supervised release for her role in wire fraud, bank fraud, passport fraud, and identity theft. The court ordered both defendants to pay $52,355 in restitution to various victim businesses.

U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the efforts of the DSS and SSA-OIG for their thorough investigation, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Hanlon for prosecuting the case.

For more details about the priorities and resources available from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office for reporting fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.








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Victorian Man Sentenced for $2.4 Million Fraudulent GST Refund Scheme

A man from Victoria who accumulated $2.4 million through fraudulent GST refunds has been sentenced to over four years in prison after spending the money on luxurious living and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

This month, the County Court of Victoria sentenced Kristopher Andree-Jansz to four years and seven months of imprisonment, with a non-parole period set at two years and seven months for his role in the GST fraud scheme.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) initiated the investigation following an audit of GST refunds Andree-Jansz submitted from March 2021 to February 2022.

After registering for an ABN and portraying himself as a sole trader, he submitted over 30 Business Activity Statements (BAS) falsely claiming his plumbing business had made purchases totaling $30 million.

The audit revealed that Andree-Jansz had received $2.4 million in improper GST refunds and attempted to claim an additional $300,000.

The ATO found no evidence of any business activities “consistent with operating a plumbing business.”

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According to the tax office, Andree-Jansz misused the GST funds for “various lifestyle items, luxurious accommodations, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.”

The ATO forwarded the case to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which took on the prosecution.

He faced 24 charges for obtaining a financial advantage through deception, and an additional three counts for attempting to dishonestly acquire a financial advantage.

In addition to his prison sentence, Andree-Jansz was ordered to repay $2,402,258.

“This debt is unavoidable; the individual will now have a financial obligation and interest will continue to accrue,” stated the ATO in a public announcement.

“Any refunds will be immediately deducted to offset the debt.”

This sentencing marks the latest significant outcome from Operation Protego, a task force led by the ATO to combat GST fraud.

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This fraud scheme—exploited on social media platforms like TikTok—resulted in at least $2 billion being drained from public funds.

The tax office successfully thwarted an additional $2.7 billion in suspected GST fraud.

As of February 28, the ATO reported arresting 108 individuals linked to Operation Protego, with 98 convictions secured.

Among those convicted is a woman from Victoria who was sentenced last year to four years in prison for fraudulently claiming nearly $600,000 in GST refunds.

In response to the widespread fraud, the ATO promised last February to implement internal reforms as recommended by the Australian National Audit Office.

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