ORLANDO, Fla. – Owners and employees of a Central Florida tax preparation company have been arrested on federal charges for allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns on behalf of customers between 2017 and 2020, court records show.
Neighborhood Advance Tax, which operated from nine strip mall locations throughout Central Florida, was the subject of a News 6 investigation after customers who originally received large tax refunds were audited by the IRS and forced to repay the government.
Company owners Franklin Carter, Emmanuel Almonor and Jonathan Carrillo were indicted by a federal grand jury last month on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States, according to court records.
The grand jury also indicted Abryle De La Cruz, Isaiah Hayes, Diandre Mentor, and Adon Hemley, who reportedly worked as tax preparers.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Neighborhood Advance Tax charged customers as much as $999 to prepare tax returns while promising to get them the “maximum refund,” according to the company’s now-defunct website.
Prosecutors allege that the conspirators obtained excessive refunds for customers by fraudulently claiming tax deductions such as unreimbursed employee expenses and gifts to charity.
The operators of Neighborhood Advance Tax created a training manual that instructed tax preparers how to fraudulently increase customers’ tax refunds without being “flagged” by the IRS, the indictment alleges.
Tax preparers were also trained not to disclose fraudulently prepared tax documents to customers, according to the indictment.
“We have faith in the jury system and legal process and will remain patient until this matter is resolved,” said Carrillo’s attorney, Brice Aikens. “My client maintains his innocence, and we are confident that once all the facts are presented in a court of law, my client will be exonerated.”
The other defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.
After News 6 began reporting on customer complaints in 2020, Neighborhood Advance Tax was reportedly sold to a new owner and renamed.
The IRS offers advice on its website for choosing a qualified tax preparer.
The agency also warns against so-called “ghost” preparers who do not sign tax returns or fail to include a Preparer Tax Identification Number or PTIN.
If a tax preparer attempts to generate a larger refund by creating false exemptions or omitting income, the IRS encourages taxpayers to file a complaint.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: