A Hialeah tax guru is on the hot seat for allegedly cooking the books on her clients' tax returns. Beatriz Toledo, 60, the owner of Immigration and Tax Service Group LLC, faces charges for purportedly crafting fraudulent deductions, that may have netted her clients bigger refunds, authorities said.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Toledo has been indicted on 15 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, and, in a striking disregard for the law, one count of contempt of court for a previous injunction against her.
The indictment, dropped by a south Florida grand jury on April 11, claims Toledo was willfully prepping dodgy returns from 2016 to 2021, with false claims aplenty — like the Residential Energy Credit and extra deductions for state taxes and business expenses. These moves, the feds say, lined her clients’ pockets by unlawfully slashing their taxable income.
It’s not Toledo’s first tax rodeo. The woman agreed to stop such activities after a 2009 suit by the government and a judge's order in 2010, but she’s accused of sticking it to Uncle Sam again. If she’s found guilty, each tax fraud charge could lock her up for three years with a fine up to $250,000 — and for the contempt charge, life might be on the table, along with another $250,000 fine.
The owner of the tax prep firm pleaded not guilty in her first court showing on April 18, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman. Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation's Miami office and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe are throwing the book at her, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig spearheads the prosecution.
While the case shakes out, remember: an indictment is just that, an accusation. Toledo is playing by the rules — presumed innocent until the courts say otherwise. Stay tuned for updates on this tax season's crime saga, as court buffs can track the case on the Southern District of Florida's website or the PACER system, under case number 24-cr-20147.
