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Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients Out of $4,000,000

January 27, 2021

Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients Out of $4,000,000

On November 13, 2020, in the Central District of California, Edgardo Montalban was charged with aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Montalban devised a scheme to defraud taxpayers of their money.According to the court documents, beginning in or before 2013 continuing through September 2020, Montalban presented himself as an accountant and tax preparer and instructed his clients to invest in a non-existent Federal grant program. Montalban told his clients that if they paid him in cash the amount of taxes their dormant companies owed, the Federal Government would issue them grants many times larger. Montalban used counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks as props to entice and obtain the cash from his clients. After Montalban had his clients pay him, he made up excuses as to why their Treasury checks had been delayed, and tricked the victims into paying him more money to receive the non-existent checks. Montalban defrauded his clients out of approximately $4,000,000.At sentencing, Montalban could receive a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: C.D. Cal., Information, November 13, 2020, and C.D. Cal., Plea Agr., November 13, 2020.