Florida man admits to accessing IRS system and obtaining taxpayer information

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Clinton Jean-Pierre, of Miami, Florida, has admitted to identity theft through use of a computer, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Jean-Pierre, age 28, pled guilty to one count of “Accessing a Computer and Obtaining Information” and one count of “Aggravated Identity Theft.”  Jean-Pierre admitted to fraudulently accessing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eAuthentication online taxpayer system, which has servers located in Berkeley County, in December 2017.  In order to pass IRS security protocols, Jean-Pierre admitted that he fraudulently “ported” an unknowing person’s cellular telephone number to his own phone in order to obtain the security code necessary to create an unauthorized taxpayer account.  Once in the IRS eAuthentication system, Jean-Pierre admitted he gained access to a taxpayer’s tax return information which included the taxpayer’s personal identifying information. 

Jean-Pierre faces a mandatory two years incarceration for the identity theft count, and up to five additional years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the accessing a computer count.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.