A Vicksburg man, Laron Evans, has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for his involvement in a series of crimes including wire fraud, mail fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and contempt of court. U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate handed down the sentence and ordered Evans to pay $1,917,231.26 in restitution to the victims.
Court documents reveal that Evans conspired with Travious Quinshad Jackson and others to perpetrate a health care fraud scheme involving Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The scheme utilized interstate wire communications and the U.S. postal system to transmit personal identification information (PII) of 57 individuals under the guise of them being employees of a fictitious company. This information was sent to a third-party administrator company based in Maryland.
The administrator used the stolen PII to create HSA accounts and corresponding debit cards for each employee name and mailed these cards to addresses in Vicksburg. Funds were advanced into these accounts by the administrator, which could then be accessed via debit cards at retail stores.
Evans, along with Jackson and others, spent these funds on various consumer goods throughout April and May 2018. The third-party administrator later discovered that there were no funds available for reimbursement from Evans' fake company's bank account.
In July 2018, using proceeds from this fraudulent activity, Evans purchased a Chevrolet Suburban SUV with cash plus a trade-in vehicle.
After his initial court appearance in February 2019 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson—where he was released on bond with travel restrictions—Evans violated these conditions by traveling outside Mississippi without permission. During this period, he continued executing similar fraudulent schemes by misrepresenting himself as an Orlando business leader seeking health care benefits for non-existent employees through another third-party administrator located in Minnesota.
Evans pled guilty on August 1, 2019. His co-defendant Jackson also pled guilty earlier on June 18, 2019, receiving a two-year prison sentence along with an order to pay $302,099.34 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee announced the sentencing alongside Special Agent Robert A. Eikhoff from the FBI's Southern District office. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI itself along with assistance from Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General as well as local law enforcement such as Vicksburg Police Department and Warren County Sheriff's Office.
Assistant U.S Attorney Kimberly T Purdie prosecuted this case successfully leading up towards today's verdicts against both defendants involved within it all too closely intertwined together here now finally coming full circle back around again once more anew alike before yet evermore onward still further forth beyond...