Convicted fraudster unknowingly hired by Florida DOR

Florida's Department of Revenue recently announced new criminal background check policies after a convicted felon was found to be on staff, Sunshine State News reports. Effective October 1, current employees must submit to criminal history record rechecks every five years. Florida residents must undergo a Florida-only check, while employees that live or work outside of the state will receive a national check that includes fingerprinting. "Failure to disclose a criminal history is considered a violation of Revenue's standards of conduct and may result in disciplinary action," said department administrator Lisa Vickers, as quoted by the news source."Pre-employment criminal history record checks [will] reduce the risk of hiring a candidate who has a serious, undisclosed criminal background." DOR officials are referring to Deon McCrimmon, who was hired as a tax specialist while she was on probation for a 2004 federal wire fraud conviction. She pleaded guilty to concealing a back-tax bill of nearly $140,000 when she applied for a home loan. McCrimmon had been a bank examiner at the FDIC prior to her DOR hire. The news source notes in a separate article that it's speculated she made it through the DOR's hiring process by conspiring with a friend who worked there to ensure due diligence wasn't performed.