Metairie Fraudster Gets 43-Month Sentence in $10M Tax Scam

GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE – Metairie, Louisiana’s Olsen Saravia-Hernandez has been handed a 43-month prison sentence for his involvement in a $10 million tax fraud conspiracy. The 48-year-old Honduran national was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Helen G. Berrigan alongside a $1 million restitution order.

Saravia-Hernandez, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aggravated identity theft, played a key role in the scheme that targeted Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). His co-conspirator, Jacqueline J. Arias, was previously sentenced to 97 months for her part in the fraud, which resulted in over $10 million in losses.

The operation saw Saravia-Hernandez act as a ‘runner,’ collecting identification documents and facilitating their use in filing fraudulent tax returns. Arias, a tax return preparer from Alabama, was responsible for submitting false applications for ITINs and preparing the tax returns that led to the scheme’s success.

Seventeen defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case, including one arrested in Panama last year. Four remain at large. Sentences for these co-conspirators have ranged from 19 months to 42 months.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite praised the agencies involved in the investigation, highlighting the collaboration between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and other local law enforcement agencies. Trial Attorney Hayden Brockett and Assistant United States Attorney David Haller led the prosecution.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the severity of tax fraud and the lengths to which some will go to exploit the system for personal gain. Saravia-Hernandez’s sentence is a testament to the justice system’s commitment to holding such criminals accountable.