Riviera Beach Engineer Charged with Fraud

Believe it or not, other things happened this news cycle other than Jeffrey Epstein. According to police, Jeffrey Maurice Sanon forged signatures including that of West Palm Beach Town Council President Danielle Moore. Sanon has since been charged with the fraudulent use of personal identification information.

Sanon, who used to work here in West Palm Beach, moved on to Riviera in April of this year. A seven-month investigation begun before Sanon had made the move to Riviera Beach found evidence that Sanon was forging signatures from town employees on documents related to his company AeroWest. AeroWest supplies hospitals with deodorizer.

According to documents dated February 7th,  Sanon faced disciplinary charges related to his failure to perform his duties. The documents noted that Sanon was more interested in his private business ventures than his duties to Palm Beach.

Invoices Required Signatures

According to the terms of Sanon’s contract with AeroWest, he was able to earn 65% of the profits on individual contracts but only if there were certain signatures on the contracts. According to police, Sanon forged 11 signatures for a gross total of $429. If that seems like it doesn’t make sense, then you’re not alone. It hardly seems worth it.

Fraudulent Use of Personal Information

Florida Statute 817.568 defines the fraudulent use of personal identification as a type of identity fraud. Essentially, there is only one element to proving this type of crime: The defendant used the personal information without the consent of the individual to whom the information belonged. In this case, the degree of the crime increases based on how many impacted parties there were. If the number is over 10 and fewer than 20, as is the case with Sanon, the defendant can be charged with a second-degree felony that comes with a mandatory three-year prison sentence.

Problematically for Sanon, the 11 signatures he forged raises the bar of his offense to a second-degree felony despite the fact that he only made $429 on it. Unless he can secure a deal where the prosecutor is willing to reduce the charges against him, or provide some leverage drawing the charges into a state of ambiguity, Sanon will pay for each $140 he made with one year of his life.

Examples of Personal Information that Can be Used Fraudulently

Just about any piece of personal information can be considered for the purposes of prosecuting this crime. This includes social security numbers, email addresses, signatures, telephone numbers, date of birth, address, bank information, and any other kind of identification number. It also includes biometric data such as retinal scans and thumb prints.

The only actual defense to this crime is the claim that the defendant was authorized to use the information by the individual whose information they used.

Talk to a West Palm Beach Fraud Attorney

If you’ve been charged with fraud, the West Palm Beach criminal attorneys at the Skier Law Firm, P.A. can help you raise a valid defense to the charges. We have helped many clients fight white-collar criminal charges. Talk to us today for more information.

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