“A Grinch.” That’s how the Polk County Sheriff’s Office described 38-year-old Tammy Strickland of Eagle Lake, Florida.
Strickland was arrested on Monday, December 19, 2016, charged with Grand Theft, 28 counts of Providing False Statement to Obtain Credit/Property, Obtain Property by Fraud, and 164 counts of Create/Use/Possess Counterfeit /Fictitious Identification. After her arrest, Strickland, who has a prior criminal record, was transferred to central booking.
Acting on a tip from Crime Stoppers, the Sheriff’s Office began investigating Strickland’s activities earlier this year. According to Sheriff Grady Judd, his office learned that Strickland had submitted at least 29 applications requesting assistance from the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation (sometimes just called “Toys For Tots”), a legitimate charity, for more than 144 children. Strickland’s name appeared as the contact on those applications though other information on the forms turned out to be fake (it remains unclear whether any of the identification used on the forms was stolen).
Detectives set up an undercover sting operation focusing on those Toys for Tots applications. Strickland arrived at the warehouse, Sheriff Judd says, to pick up the toys driving a Cadillac Escalade; that vehicle was seized during the arrest.
Sheriff Judd says that the investigation indicates that Strickland never intended to deliver those toys to any needy children. Instead, he alleges, she intended to keep the toys for use in her tax preparation business, Max Tax Refund Services LLC, located in Auburndale, Florida. The 2016 tax season begins in about a month, on January 23, 2017.
I know what you’re thinking: what do toys have to do with a tax preparation business? According to Sheriff Judd, it’s believed that she intended to use the stolen toys as a business promotion. Strickland had previously advertised that clients who patronized her tax preparation business would receive a free toy (as you can see in this, er promotional, YouTube video).
The toy connection may be simply born of opportunity. In prior years, Strickland served as a volunteer for the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation. During that time, on at least one occasion, Strickland allegedly picked up toys to be distributed but never delivered those toys to the children waiting for them. A search warrant issued at Strickland’s home found 118 unwrapped toys still in their packages.
While Strickland is no longer a volunteer at the charity, she was apparently taking advantage of their services. In addition to the applications submitted this year, detectives confirmed that Strickland submitted a number of Toys for Tots applications in 2015. Authorities are reviewing those applications – as well as Strickland’s activities in 2014 – and additional charges may be forthcoming.
Additional fraud charges may also be on the way. The Sheriff’s office has referred Strickland to federal authorities after questions were raised about government benefits – $511 per month in federal food assistance – she receives.
It doesn’t stop there. Since Strickland’s arrest, the Sheriff’s office has received a number of phone calls from consumers who claim they have been scammed by Strickland through her tax practice. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is not involved at this time but, “if we see evidence that she scammed people or the IRS through her business,” Sheriff Judd says, “we will notify the IRS.” Sheriff Judd encourages those who feel they might have been victimized by Strickland, whether tied to her tax practice or another scam, to come forward, noting that several investigations are ongoing.
When asked whether Strickland might just be one of many actors in a bigger scheme, Sheriff Judd demurred. “She appears to be our culprit,” he says, confirming that, at present, Strickland is the “only target.”
Earlier this week, Strickland’s bond was set at $30,000. Strickland, who does not appear to be represented by an attorney, remains in jail and it’s unclear when she might be released. Sheriff Judd says a plea hearing will be held soon and depending on the plea, the matter should proceed to a trial.
As for those needy kids who were hoping for toys this Christmas? Toys For Tots is still accepting donations through the national website though it’s getting down to the wire for delivery. According to Polk County Toys for Tots spokesperson Bernie Heisler, demand exceeds availability every year, so donations are always appreciated. By Thanksgiving, he says, the Polk County Toys For Tots program is typically “extremely short on toys.” The organization starts accepting applications in early October and wrapping gifts in early November to make sure that kids have a nice Christmas to wake up to.
If you’d like to help out the local chapter, you can send a check to Toys for Tots, PO Box 303, Lakeland, FL 33802-0303. All contributions will be acknowledged by Toys for Tots, which is recognized by the IRS as a qualifying charitable organization. Heisler notes that funds raised in Polk County stay in Polk County; the site’s website reinforces that “100% of your donations donated to us will stay in Polk County’s campaign.”
Heisler said that since the story broke, the Polk County Toys For Tots program has received a few phone calls from folks willing to help. Despite the setback, the organization is still packing boxes to help make Christmas dreams come true. This year, even as the Grinch tried to steal Christmas, Christmas still came. Somehow or other, it came just the same.
