The month of May is
recognized as Haitian Heritage Month in South Florida. All month long the
Haitian Diaspora has been proudly representing the Red and Blue and sharing our
culture as the world excitedly looks on. Since THE hurricane of 2008 and the
7.0 earthquake of 2010 ravaged Haiti, the small French and Creole speaking
island has been in the public eye. With a newly elected President and a new
dedication to establishing Haiti as a premiere tourist destination, the
negative perception of Haiti has slowly been changing.
But then local news
outlets released these headlines:
North Miami Mayor Sought
In Mortgage Fraud Investigation - CBS news
North Miami Mayor Facing
Mortgage Fraud Charges - NBC News
North Miami Mayor
charged in $8 million mortgage fraud scheme - ABC News
North Miami mayor
reportedly to be charged with fraud - Fox News
Lucie Tondreau, the
first Haitian woman to be voted mayor of North Miami was being sought by the
FBI on Monday Morning. Tondreau along with Karl Oreste, 56, of Miramar, Marie
Okechukwu Josiah "OJ" Odunna, 49, of Lauderdale Lakes, and Kelly Augustin,
57, of North Miami are accused in a federal mortgage fraud indictment. The
foursome is facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of
wire fraud.
Barely two days since Haitian Flag Day, all the positive national news coverage Haitians were receiving had been replaced by reports of the Haitians caught in the middle of these allegations. All the blame does not rest on Mayor Tondreau but she and her alleged cohorts contribute to the belief that Haitians are crooked.
In the last four years, Florida has risen to the top of the United States for tax fraud. In response, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo Ferrer formed a task force to attack the tax-fraud “epidemic.” The South Florida Identity Theft Tax Fraud Strike Force is comprised of agents from the Secret Service, the IRS’s Criminal Investigation unit, the FBI, the USPS Office of the Inspector General, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as officers from local police departments. For the full story Click Here.
The identity theft rate in Florida in 2012 was more than 361 complaints per every 100,000 residents. Similarly, Miami topped the other metropolitan regions in mortgage and Medicare fraud at more than 645 complaints per 100,000 residents, according to recent data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
You may be wondering
what the relevance of this information is. Well in 2010 Tax Professors, a tax
preparation company ran by the Pierre brothers, were filing bogus tax returns
using stolen identities. An investigation ultimately uncovered an operation
involving hundreds of fraudulently obtained tax refunds totaling about
$1.9 million.
A Florida woman, Alci Bonannee, was recently sentenced to 26 years in prison for buying 800 identities from a hospital and using them to file for $11 million in fraudulent tax refunds.
Judes Celestin, 36, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Celestin set up two corporations and set himself up as president; JC Easy Tax Inc and Tax Filing Made Easy. Celestin collected a little over a million dollars by filing false income tax returns without the individuals' knowledge. Sentencing is scheduled for August 13th and he faces a maximum term of 22 years in prison.
25 year old Geto Dorlizier of Boynton Beach was sentenced to more than nine years while his brother, 38 year old Jourmel Thomas of Lake Worth received more than five years in prison. Both pled guilty to charges including conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Together, they operated a tax preparation business where between 2011 and 2013 they submitted 706 fraudulent tax returns and collected $1.6 million in refunds.
I will spare you any more of these stories for I am quite sure you were able to see the pattern. Over some time, Haitians have developed a reputation for criminal practices, especially in the South Florida are. Dating back to the early 90's with the gang activity of Zoe Pound to these modern day "gangsters" using tax, healthcare, and mortgage fraud, these individuals have illegally mad millions of dollars and simultaneously tainted the reputations of Haitians and Haitian American business practitioners. In fact there is a new street term used in South Florida. To be Zoed or getting Zoed means you were or are being scammed.
"This is a very sad moment for the Haitian community...This is the first Haitian American woman elected as a mayor in the city of North Miami" said DJ Roschill Anderson on WLQY 1320 AM radio. The rest of us can't help but mirror that sentiment. At such a crucial time for the community, what can be done to repair the reputation of entrepreneurs and politicians of Haitian descent? Can anything be done at all?
Mayor Tondreau and all those indicted continue to maintain their innocence and stand to face a just and impartial trial. Whether they are found innocent or guilty, the damage they have caused the community may never be repaired. My final words are a piece of advice. We will never be taken serious as a nation or as a people as long as some of us stoop to underhanded tactics to get ahead. Our success lies in our motto, L'union fait la force (Unity makes for strength). If we band together to move forward to a positive and common goal then our community will be able to excel not only here in Florida but across this great nation and most importantly lakay nou (our home), Haiti.
Na we pita/A plus tard
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