A New York man is in custody in the Kosciusko County Jail after stealing over $9,000 from a Leesburg resident’s tax return and authorities say more charges in other states are possible.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies were dispatched to a Barbee Lake address on March 28 in regards to a Leesburg resident who was unable to file her tax return online. The victim explained that she attempted to use Turbo Tax filing services, but was informed that her tax return had already been filed with the Internal Revenue Service.  Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Detectives began to investigate the case and confirmed with the IRS the fraudulent filing of the tax return.

After several months of investigation, a suspect was located with the assistance of Bank of America.  Detectives and officers from KCSD travelled last week to Staten Island, N.Y., and met with New York Police Department detectives who had provided assistance in locating the suspect’s residence.

KCSD officers and NYPD detectives and task force officers arrested Nihal Walter Rodrigo, 39, #57 Livermore Ave., Staten Island, N.Y., at his residence without incident. Rodrigo is preliminary charged with felony forgery.

The Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, working in conjunction with the New York City District Attorney’s Office, also filed for search warrants on Rodrigo’s laptop computer and other electronic devices.

Rodrigo waived extradition and was transported back to Indiana and is currently being held on a $75,000 bond issued by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office. The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department stated that paperwork is currently being obtained to search Rodrigo’s computer for other potential victims throughout the United States.