Four men were detained by federal authorities at a Pembroke Pines restaurant on Monday as part of an undercover lunchtime operation that foiled their plan to cash a stolen US Treasury check for nearly $28 million, according to court documents acquired by Local 10 News on Wednesday.
Three men from Texas and one from South Florida were due to appear in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Wednesday morning, facing allegations of theft of government property and conspiracy to defraud the US.
According to a federal criminal complaint, federal authorities discovered earlier this month that Carlos Manuel Villanueva, 37, of Hialeah, possessed the stolen $27,910,676.69 tax return check, which was scheduled to go to an undisclosed corporation in Richmond, Virginia.
Investigators believe Villanueva was collaborating with Eric Renard Bedford, 44, and John Ryan Boxie, 43, both of Houston, and Jorge Cruz Garcia, 30, of Katy, Texas.
According to authorities, on November 5, Villanueva phoned someone he believed was a “banker” who could assist the quartet in negotiating the check. However, they said it was an undercover official with the US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
According to the complaint, Villanueva informed the undercover officer that the company had “closed,” which they “believed prevented them from cashing it through legitimate means.”
Investigators claim he allegedly informed the officer that the check would “expire” on Wednesday, “creating a sense of urgency,” and that the three guys were outside of Florida and in possession of the check. According to the complaint, Villanueva further informed the officer that the organization has “access to other checks of a large amount and can get more.”
After confirming that he had seen the check, detectives said Villanueva scheduled a face-to-face meeting with the officer at an unknown Pembroke Pines restaurant.
According to officials, Villanueva “discussed the planned distribution of the proceeds” and stated that he would receive 20% of the revenues, or around $5.6 million.
“He further asked the (undercover officer) to create three separate accounts to disburse the funds and discussed methods to ‘take all the money out’ over several months,” according to the document.
The lawsuit claims that Villanueva and the undercover officer arranged to meet on Monday at an undisclosed restaurant in Pembroke Pines.
Investigators stated that Villanueva arrived at 11:45 a.m., met with the agent, and “discussed how the check would be negotiated and divided among the parties involved.”
Authorities claimed Garcia arrived about an hour later in an Uber.
Under the name “David,” the FBI reported that “he claimed to have extensive experience in negotiating stolen checks, particularly United States Treasury checks” and then “also mentioned that he operates a business that is used to funnel the proceeds from these stolen checks.”
According to the complaint, Boxie and Bedford arrived in a white Maserati with Virginia plates at 1:20 p.m., and Garcia greeted them outside.
According to authorities, as the three entered the restaurant, Boxie “introduced himself as an accountant with extensive financial and banking experience, having worked with two tax preparation firms” in Houston.
According to the complaint, the group discussed logistics for structuring payments to “avoid any red flags” before devising a strategy with the undercover officer.
Bedford then walked to the Maserati and took out a white packet, which he brought inside and handed it to the undercover cop, according to investigators.
According to the complaint, after the officer opened it and confirmed the check was inside, agents from the United States Postal Inspection Service arrived to take the men into custody.
They were being held at the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail on behalf of the United States Marshals Service.
According to federal court records, the quartet had an initial hearing before a federal magistrate judge scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
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