Tax Fraud Trio Get Decades in Florida Scheme

ORLANDO, FL – Three Florida men are trading sunshine for shadows after receiving hefty prison sentences this week for a brazen scheme to defraud the United States government through widespread tax fraud. Jonathan Carrillo, Franklin Carter Jr., and Diandre T. Mentor were sentenced to 121, 84, and 36 months respectively, after being found guilty of preparing and filing false tax returns for unsuspecting clients.

Court documents reveal the rot started between 2016 and 2020, when Carter and Carrillo fronted Neighborhood Advance Tax (NAT), a network of a dozen Florida offices. Mentor, initially an employee and later manager of the Orlando location from 2018-2019, quickly became instrumental in the operation. The trio, along with unnamed co-conspirators, didn’t just prepare returns – they actively *fabricated* deductions, inflating refunds and lining their pockets. Worse, they held training sessions, effectively schooling other NAT employees in the art of fraudulent tax preparation.

But the scheme didn’t stop with NAT. In 2020, Mentor, undeterred, launched Smart Tax & Finance with the same crooked playbook. False deductions, fabricated income – the whole nine yards. Mentor continued to indoctrinate franchise owners and employees, perpetuating the cycle of fraud. The IRS estimates Mentor alone caused a tax loss of $3,090,077. As if that weren’t enough, Carter and Carrillo doubled down in 2021, opening Taxmates, conveniently using the same office spaces NAT once occupied. The pattern repeated: false returns, trained accomplices, and a blatant disregard for the law.

The scale of the operation is staggering. Combined, Carter, Carrillo, and their network of co-conspirators caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding a jaw-dropping $12 million. The feds haven’t stopped there. Emmanuel Almonor received 57 months behind bars, and Adon Hemley will spend 46 months incarcerated for their roles in the conspiracy. This wasn’t a simple oversight; it was a calculated, multi-year effort to systematically cheat the system.

U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger for the Middle District of Florida didn’t just hand down prison sentences. Mentor was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay roughly $3,090,077 in restitution. Carter and Carrillo face the same supervised release terms and must repay $12,543,946 and $12,170,066 respectively. The judge clearly signaled that profiting from fraud will not be tolerated.

The investigation was led by IRS Criminal Investigation, with the prosecution handled by Trial Attorney Michael L. Jones of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Testerman for the Middle District of Florida. This case serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly complex financial crimes will be pursued, and those who attempt to defraud the government will face serious consequences. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as further co-conspirators are brought to justice.

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