Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Legal professional for the District of Connecticut Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Particular Agent in Demand of IRS Prison Investigation in New England Matthew B. Millhollin, Specific Agent in Cost, Homeland Protection Investigations (HSI), Boston and Joshua W. McCallister, Performing Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Provider, Boston Division, nowadays introduced that four Ecuadoran nationals dwelling in Connecticut have been arrested currently on federal fees stemming from their alleged participation in a tax refund fraud plan.
On July 6, 2021, a grand jury in Hartford returned a five-rely indictment charging OLGA AUCAPINA, a.k.a. Olga Aucapina Paredes, 51, past residing in Woodbridge DIEGO AUCAPINA, a.k.a. Diego Aucapina Paredes, 33, past residing in Woodbridge JAIRO SANTIAGO SARANGO SOLANO, a.k.a. Jairo Santiago Sarango, 33, final residing in Hamden and EDWIN F. GUTIERREZ, 43, past residing in East Haven. The indictment was unsealed just after the defendants had been arrested this morning.
As alleged in the indictment, from about May 2013 to April 2017, the four defendants conspired to file fraudulent federal tax returns, in the names of other foreign nationals (“claimants”), with the IRS in purchase to illegally attain tax refunds. The fraudulent tax returns said that the claimants resided in the U.S., earned wages from businesses in the U.S., and had federal money tax withheld from the claimants’ wages. In reality, the claimants never worked for or gained earnings from all those firms. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Safety have no data of the claimants even staying present in the U.S. throughout the tax years for which the returns were submitted. Primarily based on these untrue tax returns, the IRS issued tax refunds, which were being then deposited into bank accounts that ended up controlled by some of the defendants.
It is further alleged that the IRS obtained at minimum 34 phony tax returns for the 2012 by way of 2016 tax a long time, resulting in illegally received tax refunds in excessive of $103,000. The defendants invested some of the proceeds for their own use, and they wired some of the proceeds to family members in Ecuador.
The indictment rates all 4 defendants with one rely of conspiracy to commit theft of public dollars, which carries a utmost time period of imprisonment of five a long time a single rely of conspiracy to defraud the governing administration with respect to promises, which carries a greatest expression of imprisonment of 10 yrs and one depend of conspiracy to commit funds laundering, which carries a utmost time period of imprisonment of 20 yrs. In addition, the indictment expenses Olga Aucapina and Gutierrez with one particular count of theft of community cash, which carries a utmost expression of imprisonment of 10 years.
Performing U.S. Lawyer Boyle pressured that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Fees are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent except if and until tested guilty outside of a sensible doubt.
This subject is remaining investigated by the Interior Revenue Support – Felony Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Services, with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Functions and the East Haven, Hamden, New Haven, Woodbridge and Wilton Police Departments.
The circumstance is currently being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Legal professional Neeraj N. Patel.