Former Clearwater Pawnshop Owner Sentenced In Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Craig Reckley to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme. As part of his sentence, the Court also ordered him to pay $166,745.61 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

Reckley pleaded guilty on May 4, 2017.

According to court documents, Reckley obtained and deposited 37 United States Treasury checks into his business’s bank account. The checks represented refunds from the filing of false and fraudulent income tax returns in the names of victim taxpayers. During his involvement in the scheme, Reckley was the owner and proprietor of Quick Cash Pawn of Pinellas, located in Clearwater.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Clearwater Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.