Luis Alberto Mijangos, Tax Fraud, California 2022
LOS ANGELES, CA - Luis Alberto Mijangos, a Tax Preparer, Charged with Filing False Tax Returns
LOS ANGELES - The United States government has filed a lawsuit against Luis Alberto Mijangos and George Louis Montalvan, two tax preparers who allegedly filed false federal tax returns under the names of several businesses in the San Fernando Valley and Koreatown area of Los Angeles.
According to the lawsuit, Mijangos and Montalvan prepared false tax returns under several business names, including Luismi Services Inc., Luismi Services, Luismi Income Tax Services, and CYL Professional Services. The defendants allegedly used these businesses to perpetuate an unlawful tax scheme in which they filed fraudulent tax returns that reported deductions, credits, exemptions, or other tax items for which their customers were not qualified to receive.
From 2019 to 2022, the defendants filed at least 1,800 federal income tax returns with the IRS. The IRS issued tax refunds based on the fabricated tax items, but customers did not receive the refunds. Instead, Mijangos and Montalvan allegedly diverted the refunds into bank accounts they owned or controlled.
For example, one customer paid $300 to the defendants to prepare and file her 2019 federal income tax return. The defendants provided this customer with a copy of a federal income tax return that reported a balance due in the amount of $364. The defendants indicated that version of the return would be filed with the IRS.
Instead, the defendants allegedly filed a tax return that reported a refund in the amount of $3,965. The claimed refund was based upon dependents and education credits that the defendants fabricated and falsely reported on the return. The customer never received the refund reported on the IRS version of her return. Instead, the defendants diverted the entire refund to a bank account owned or controlled by the defendants.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the U.S. government has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website and the U.S. government's website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page.
The U.S. government is seeking a permanent injunction against Mijangos and Montalvan, prohibiting them from preparing or filing federal tax returns.
Defendant Information:
- Defendant: Luis Alberto Mijangos
- Exact Criminal Charges: Filing false federal tax returns
- City and State: Los Angeles, CA
- Exact Date: 2022 (filing date of the lawsuit)
- Sentence or Outcome: The lawsuit is ongoing.
- Dollar Amounts: At least $7,265,980 (the total amount of refunds diverted by Mijangos and Montalvan)
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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