A member of a group of accused tax scammers who held seminars all over the country offering to falsely file hefty refund claims for homeowners, in exchange for substantial fees, has pleaded guilty just weeks before trial.
Prosecutors say Aaron Aqueron, of Clermont, Fla. personally filed false tax returns for 53 people claiming refunds of over $14 million, of which $7.6 million was paid out, and then allegedly instructed clients on how to hide the money when the IRS began investigating.
“Make sure you move money out of your name and out of the banking institutions and be smart,” prosecutors say Aqueron told one client who had received notices that the IRS was seeking to recoup the fraudulently received refund.
In all, investigators say the ring filed claims for more than 200 people in 19 states, claiming over $40 million in bogus refunds.
Aqueron’s alleged co-conspirators, Iran Backstrom, also known as Shariyf Noble, of Milledgeville, Ga.; and Mehef Bey, of Charlotte, N.C., are due to begin trial in January, prosecutors said. Another alleged co-conspirator, Yomarie Febres, has also pleaded guilty, admitting to helping prepare many of the fraudulent tax returns.
Messages left with attorneys for Aqueron and Backstrom weren’t immediately returned. Lawyers for Bey and Febres declined to comment.
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