Tax preparers going through expenses in alleged years-long scheme in Chelsea

5 individuals are going through fraud and cash laundering expenses after prosecutors say they ran a years-long scheme in Chelsea utilizing stolen identities and false tax returns to gather greater than $220,000 in refunds. 

The costs stem from a multi-agency investigation of a tax scheme that occurred between April 2017 and July 2021, in accordance with an announcement from the Suffolk District Lawyer’s workplace. 

Prosecutors allege that Danny Oviedo, 37, of Lynn, whereas working as a tax preparer for Lean’s Tax Service in Chelsea, filed tax returns for purchasers with false deductions. 

Authorities stated Oviedo additionally stole consumer identities and ready 145 fraudulent private revenue tax returns. He allegedly had the refund checks made payable to aliases and addresses linked to himself and his household. 

In keeping with an announcement of details filed with the courtroom, Oviedo fraudulently endorsed checks totaling $222,827.48 and deposited them into his private accounts, protecting the cash from his purchasers. 

Oviedo did not file private revenue tax returns for himself in 2019 and 2020, in accordance with courtroom paperwork. 

His spouse, 34-year-old Estefany Oviedo, additionally of Lynn, is accused of opening financial institution accounts the place a majority of the 142 fraudulent refund checks, totaling over $217,000, have been deposited. 

Prosecutors allege that Estefany Oviedo and affiliate Antonio Pires, a 59-year-old resident of Wilmington, used the fraudulent tax refund checks to buy a house at 7 Harrington Ave. in Revere. Pires is married to an worker of Lean’s Tax Service and likewise owns property in Lynn with Oviedo. 

Oviedo and Pires made false statements on the mortgage software for a mortgage misrepresenting revenue, property, and occupancy, authorities stated. 

Particularly, Pires stated he would occupy the residence and obtain $3,000 per 30 days in rental revenue from Carlos Oviedo, who’s one other worker of Lean’s Tax Service and the brother of Danny Oviedo. Nevertheless, Pires by no means declared this rental revenue on his private tax return, regardless of Carlos Oviedo itemizing 7 Harrington Ave. on his personal tax filings, in accordance with the assertion of details. 

Mirian Pineda, 58, of Revere, who’s Danny Oviedo’s mom and president of Lean’s Tax Service, used deposits made to her firm to qualify for a mortgage, in accordance with courtroom paperwork. 

In keeping with the assertion of details, Pineda did not report these deposits — totaling greater than $391,000 — on her 2020 or 2021 Massachusetts Company Excise Returns, regardless of claiming to be the corporate’s sole proprietor. Pinedo additionally didn’t report firm funds in her private revenue tax filings for 2020 and 2021. 

In keeping with courtroom data, Danny Oviedo faces the next expenses: 

Estefany Oviedo, Pires, and Pineda are every charged with cash laundering and larceny by a false pretense in a business transaction, the Suffolk District Lawyer’s workplace stated. 

Pineda moreover faces expenses of false tax return and 9 counts of failure to file a tax return, and Estefany Oviedo faces two counts of receiving stolen property over $1,200. 

Danny Oviedo, Estefany Oviedo, Pires, and Pineda have been launched on private recognizance and are every due again in courtroom June 22 for pretrial hearings. Carlos Oviedo will likely be arraigned at a later date, authorities stated.