Nevada Tax Preparer Ofelia Ronquillo Pleads Guilty to $2.7M Fraud

Ofelia Ronquillo, 62, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to orchestrating a seven-year scheme that flooded the IRS with more than $2.7 million in fraudulent tax returns. The self-styled tax expert ran two return preparation businesses—A.R. Financial LLC and later AJRC Tax Services—while stuffing client filings with fabricated deductions and false claims designed to extract maximum refunds.

From 2009 through 2015, Ronquillo routinely inserted bogus charitable contributions, invented capital losses, and inflated unreimbursed employee expenses like meals and transportation—items she knew had no basis in tax law or client reality. These lies weren’t oversight errors. They were deliberate, calculated entries meant to trigger inflated refunds for clients who either didn’t qualify or never authorized the claims.

The Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada confirmed the plea, which came after Ronquillo admitted to causing a total tax loss exceeding $2.7 million. Her actions didn’t just cheat the system—they undermined the integrity of federal tax processing and burdened honest taxpayers footing the bill.

U.S. District Court Judge Andrew P. Gordon has scheduled sentencing for May 17. Ronquillo now faces up to three years in federal prison for each count, plus supervised release, restitution, and steep monetary penalties. The sentence could stack depending on the number of fraudulent returns tied directly to her approval.

IRS Criminal Investigation agents led the probe, following a paper trail of falsified forms and shell records that pointed directly to Ronquillo’s dual operations. Trial Attorneys Thomas W. Flynn and Eric C. Schmale of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case, underscoring federal resolve to crack down on preparer fraud that exploits both taxpayers and the system.

This case is part of a broader crackdown on return preparers who turn tax season into a criminal enterprise. The Justice Department warns that filing false returns isn’t a victimless shortcut—it’s a felony. For Ronquillo, the cost of that lesson is coming due in federal court.