Juan Mendieta of Miami-Dade County has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. The sentence follows his guilty plea in October 2024 to charges including one count of criminal conspiracy and four counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns.
The fraudulent activities, which began in 2019 and continued through at least 2023, involved Mendieta conspiring with others to prepare false tax returns for clients. These returns falsely claimed business losses and expenses, leading to inflated federal tax refunds. For several clients, Mendieta prepared two sets of tax returns: one set was shown to clients while a second set was filed with the IRS, directing larger refunds to accounts controlled by Mendieta and a co-conspirator.
The IRS identified at least 29 fraudulent filings submitted by Mendieta for at least 13 clients during this period. Consequently, the IRS is entitled to over $11 million in restitution due to these fraudulent activities.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida announced the sentencing along with Acting Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez from the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office. The case was investigated by the IRS-CI Miami Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Koffsky and Katherine Guthrie.
Further details can be accessed on the United States Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of Florida or through related court documents available online under case number 24-cr-20320.