Tax Cheat Ramirez Gets 22 Months in Federal Prison

GREENVILLE, TX – Lourdes Ramirez is headed to federal prison after admitting to a brazen tax fraud scheme that bilked the U.S. government out of over a million dollars. Ramirez, 22 months in, will also be deported back to Mexico after serving her sentence.

The Justice Department announced today that Ramirez, a Mexico national unlawfully residing in the United States, received a 22-month prison sentence for preparing false federal tax returns. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney John R. Parker for the Northern District of Texas revealed the sentencing, a culmination of a years-long investigation.

From 2011 through 2014, Ramirez operated TX ASAP Tax Services and Fiesta Tax Service in Greenville, Texas. Court documents detail how she prepared approximately 1,163 fraudulent tax returns, inflating income, fabricating losses, and conjuring deductions to secure undeserved refunds for her clients. The total intended tax loss: a staggering $1,155,383.

This wasn’t a case of simple error. Ramirez knowingly and intentionally defrauded the system, exploiting a position of trust to line her pockets and those of her clients at the expense of American taxpayers. Judge Ed Kinkeade didn’t take kindly to the scheme, ordering Ramirez to serve one year of supervised release in addition to the prison term.

The court also mandated that Ramirez pay $128,958.85 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – a fraction of the total loss, but a tangible attempt to recoup some of the stolen funds. Crucially, Judge Kinkeade ordered Ramirez removed from the United States to Mexico immediately following her release from prison. She won’t be returning.

IRS-Criminal Investigation agents spearheaded the investigation, while Trial Attorneys Alexander Effendi and Melanie Smith of the Tax Division successfully prosecuted the case. This conviction sends a clear message: those who attempt to defraud the U.S. tax system will be caught and held accountable, regardless of their immigration status. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on further developments.