An Ocoee man, James Fednor Meristin, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for running a fraudulent tax preparation business, which earned him and his accomplices up to $20,000 per falsified return. According to a report by WFTV, Meristin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and has been ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service a restitution of $2,338,675.
The scheme, which operated as Kings and Queens Multi Services between 2019 and 2023, involved preparing and filing inflated tax returns by claiming COVID-related credits for which the clients were not eligible, and in the aftermath, IRS Special Agent Ron Loecker emphasized that "Filing false tax returns is stealing from the U.S. government," this statement detailed by Orlando-News reflects the gravity of Meristin's offenses which included identifying discrepancies and fraudulent entries within his own tax returns.
Judge Roy B. Dalton announced Meristin's sentence today, bringing an end to the operations of Kings and Queens Multi Services, which not only victimized the government but also exploited its clients with outlandish fees for returns, which was thorough in R. Sowell, from the U.S. Attorney’s office, led the prosecution which was after a detailed investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation division.
