April Carrillo, 43, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, is headed to federal prison for cooking the books of hundreds of taxpayers through her now-shuttered business, Carrillo’s Tax Service. Carrillo was sentenced yesterday to nine months behind bars, followed by one year of supervised release, after pleading guilty to preparing and submitting over 2,500 falsified federal income tax returns between 2009 and 2011.
U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson confirmed the sentence handed down by Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, which also includes a restitution order of $93,945.00. The damage wasn’t just to the IRS—it was to the integrity of the tax system itself. Carrillo’s scheme relied on a simple but effective con: inflate refunds by claiming child tax credits for clients who had no legal right to them.
According to her plea agreement, Carrillo and employees at her Idaho Falls office systematically fabricated eligibility for the “child tax credit” and the “additional child tax credit.” These weren’t honest mistakes—they were deliberate lies designed to boost refund amounts and lure in more customers looking for bigger payouts from the federal government.
The fraud didn’t fly under the radar forever. IRS Criminal Investigations launched a full probe that peeled back the layers of deception at Carrillo’s Tax Service. What they found was a pattern of falsified documents, inflated dependents, and coordinated misinformation that stretched across three tax seasons and hundreds of returns.
“Ms. Carrillo’s conviction and sentence make it clear that those who knowingly and falsely claim that the income tax laws do not apply to them will be prosecuted and ordered to pay,” U.S. Attorney Olson said. “I commend the fine work of the IRS criminal investigators in this case.”
Steven Osborne, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office, added a warning ahead of tax season: “Those who might consider preparing false tax returns should be aware of the negative consequences as evidenced with this sentence.” The message from federal prosecutors is clear—defrauding the tax system is not a victimless crime, and the feds are watching.
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Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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