A verdict announced Wednesday, October 21, 2026, has put a defendant identified only as Cordoba on notice that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn intend to follow through with consequences. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said false statements tied to the case caused the IRS to issue unjustified refunds, resulting in what the office described as large losses to the government.
Prosecutors Announce the Verdict Alongside IRS Investigators
“With today's verdict, Cordoba has been held accountable for his conduct and will face the consequences,” the US Attorney EDNY
said in a post published Wednesday. The office, based in Brooklyn, is the official account of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, and it announced the statement jointly with IRS Criminal Investigation, according to the same post.
It also did not specify a dollar figure for the losses the government says it suffered, stating only that the false statements caused the IRS to issue unjustified refunds that resulted in large losses to the government.
The full case announcement identifies the defendant as Felix Cordoba, 66, of East Elmhurst, Queens, and says a jury convicted him on all 14 counts after a three-day trial. The charges included false returns claiming nonexistent children, fictitious solar expenses and fabricated business expenses, as well as related wire fraud. Prosecutors said they expect to seek proof at sentencing that the conduct involved thousands of false returns and caused more than $24 million in losses; that figure is the government’s expected showing, not a final loss determination. The U.S. Attorney’s Office case announcement also says Cordoba faces up to 20 years in prison.
A Pattern of EDNY Cases Against Tax Preparers
The Cordoba verdict lands amid a string of Eastern District of New York prosecutions targeting people accused of filing false returns on behalf of others. In one case, the Justice Department said a Queens tax-return preparer was convicted by a federal jury of preparing false income tax returns for clients of her business, according to a Justice Department announcement.
The case sits within a broader enforcement challenge: a Government Accountability Office review estimated annual federal tax-fraud losses of $116 billion to $304 billion, using data and information from 2018 through 2024. That estimate covers tax fraud broadly, not just misconduct by preparers. The review also found that more than half of individual taxpayers relied on return preparers in fiscal 2024, while many preparers are not subject to IRS competency testing, suitability checks or educational requirements—conditions that can make it harder for taxpayers to assess the person filing on their behalf.
In a separate matter, the Justice Department said a Long Island tax preparer was convicted of defrauding the Internal Revenue Service, with IRS Criminal Investigation stating that the verdict “reaffirms IRS-CI's commitment to protecting the U.S. Treasury and holding dishonest tax return preparers accountable for their conduct.” And in a 2024 case out of Brooklyn, the Justice Department said a former tax preparer pleaded guilty in a false-return scheme, with officials noting at the time that “with the tax season upon us, today's guilty plea underscores the message that tax preparers have an obligation to perform their duties honestly.” None of these cases have been shown to involve Cordoba.
A recent EDNY verdict illustrates both the overlap and the differences among these prosecutions. On October 9, a jury convicted Elmont preparer Frantzson Saintilien on all 18 counts over false claims involving fuel taxes, business expenses and asset-sale losses on returns for tax years 2018 through 2022. Prosecutors estimated his scheme cost the government well over $1 million and said he diverted improper refunds to himself in many cases—details not established in the Cordoba announcement. The separate Saintilien case shows how alleged preparer schemes can involve different methods and loss amounts.
Earlier Case Shows How Charges Can Differ From Convictions
A prior Eastern District of New York case described a tax preparer charged in an indictment accusing him of preparing false tax returns containing fictitious fuel expenses, fictitious business expenses and losses, and fraudulent tax credits that reduced his clients' tax liability, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. That case is distinct from the Cordoba matter and is not shown to be related to it.
A federal court filing from a separate Eastern District of New York case underscored the legal distinction between an accusation and a conviction, stating that “the indictment is nothing more than an accusation” and that “only if and when there is a conviction and sentence will the Office have held anyone accountable for the crimes charged,” according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Prosecutors have secured a verdict against Cordoba.
