⏱ 2 min read
Angel De La Rosa and Yaimy Real, two tax preparers from Southern Indiana, orchestrated a multi-year tax fraud scheme that generated millions in fraudulent refunds. The scheme, which lasted from January 2018 to July 2021, involved filing false tax returns that claimed the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) for clients who were not entitled to receive it. The pair operated a tax return preparation business, De La Rosa Multiservices, in Jasper, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Their conduct caused an estimated $10,577,612 in tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service. The defendants prepared approximately 5,892 fraudulent federal tax returns for tax years 2017 through 2020. They fabricated tuition and education-related expenses, generating inflated refunds for clients who were not entitled to receive them.
When the IRS began scrutinizing their clients’ returns, De La Rosa and Real attempted to conceal their fraud by creating and submitting false records. These fabricated documents included enrollment verification letters and receipts designed to make it appear that taxpayers were enrolled at eligible educational institutions.
De La Rosa, 41, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,005,149.83 in restitution. Real, 34, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,019,543.84 in restitution.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Indiana
- Location: IN
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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