Former Land O' Lakes Banker Accused Of Identity Theft, Fraud

A former employee of the Regions Bank on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes is behind bars after being accused of directing more than $1 million from faked tax returns into fraudulent bank accounts created using the personal information of real people without their knowledge.

Her boyfriend received some of the money.

Howayda Hamdan, of 30134 Rattan Court, Wesley Chapel, used the Social Security numbers, names and birthdays of 149 people to open 184 bank accounts without their knowledge, Pasco County detectives say. She then deposited 207 U.S. Treasury checks from fraudulent tax returns in the names of identity theft victims into the accounts.

This deprived the federal government of $1,081,419.61, according to Pasco detectives.

Hamdan transferred $65,429 to boyfriend Hicham Abou El Faouatih, who lives at the same address as she does, via two wire transfers and two cashier’s checks over three months, detectives said. The wire transfers totaled $25, 636. The cashier's checks totaled $39,793.45. 

Video cameras captured footage of Abou El Faouatih cashing the checks at a Regions Bank in Wesley Chapel.

Abou El Faouatih was arrested May 14 and charged with grand theft of more than $50,000. He is also under investigation for related activity by the Secret Service, Pasco detectives say. He was released from jail on bail.

Hamdan, also arrested May 14, is in the Land O’ Lakes Jail pending $2 million bail. There is the possibility of charges from the IRS,  according to Pasco detectives. She was charged with scheming to defraud and criminal use of personal identification.