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Florida check casher guilty of laundering over $100 million

Posted at 8:39 AM, Oct 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-12 08:40:23-04

MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida check cashier has pleaded guilty to laundering over $100 million in proceeds of health care, mortgage and identity theft tax refund fraud.

Federal prosecutors in Miami say 53-year-old Evelio Suarez pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.

Court documents say Suarez controlled a chain of check-cashing stores in Hialeah. From 2013 to 2015, Suarez caused the cashing of checks that he knew were the proceeds of fraudulent activity.

Suarez cashed individual fraudulent Medicare checks exceeding $200,000 and individual U.S. Treasury tax refund checks exceeding $150,000 on numerous occasions.