Two tax return preparers from Lauderhill, Florida, plead guilty to filing fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.
Luczor Fertilien, 39, and David Joseph, 37, owned two tax preparation businesses in Lauderhill, Florida: Imperial Taxation and Multi-Services Corp. and Aleluya Universal Accounting Services Inc.
According to court documents, Fertilien and Joseph filed fraudulent returns for their clients seeking refunds to which the clients were not entitled, by reporting fictitious business income, fraudulent education and fuel tax credits and claiming deceased individuals, whose identities were stolen, as dependents.
They also filed returns in the names of individuals whose identities had been stolen. Fertilien and Joseph did not report the illegal proceeds they received from this scheme on their personal tax returns and each admitted to causing a tax loss of more than $550,000.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Karadbil and Assistant Chief Greg Tortella of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 22 before U.S. District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. Fertilien and Joseph face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy count and a maximum sentence of three years in prison on the false return count.
The defendants also face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
White Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar Crime