Nationwide — Four men were arrested in South Florida after authorities say they tried to cash a stolen U.S. Treasury check worth nearly $28 million, unknowingly involving an undercover officer who exposed the entire plan.
According to WSBTV, federal agents say the group met at a restaurant in Pembroke Pines on November 10 to proceed with cashing the check. The men were identified as Carlos Manuel Villaneuva of Hialeah, Florida, Eric Renard Bedford of Houston, Jorge Cruz Garcia of Katy, Texas, and John Ryan Boxie of Houston.
Investigators said the check was a tax refund totaling $27,910,676.69 and was originally issued to a company in Richmond, Virginia. It had never been cashed. The investigation began after a source told agents that Villaneuva had access to the check and wanted help depositing it before it expired on Nov. 12.
On Nov. 5, Villaneuva reached out to someone he thought could handle it. That person, called “Banker” in the complaint, was actually an undercover officer with the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Villaneuva allegedly sent photos and videos of the check and said the other three men would travel to Florida to complete the deal.
Agents said the group planned to open three bank accounts and move smaller deposits each day to avoid detection. Boxie introduced himself as an accountant and claimed he had kept the check for almost a year because he could not find anyone willing to process it. Bedford later retrieved the check from a white Maserati parked outside.
Once the check was handed over, federal agents moved in and arrested the men. Authorities still do not know how they obtained the check or if the intended recipient had reported it missing.
All four suspects appeared in federal court on Nov. 12. Garcia, Bedford, and Boxie were given 100,000 dollar bonds with a Nebbia hold, while Villaneuva received a 50,000 dollar bond with the same condition.