Heidi Torres-Moncaleano (45), a Naples tax preparer, has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for aiding in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns. U.S. District Judge Sheri P. Chappell also ordered Torres-Moncaleano to serve one year of supervised release and pay $429,888 in restitution to the IRS. Torres-Moncaleano pleaded guilty on April 17, 2024.
From 2018 to 2021, through her business “Torres Tax Services,” Torres-Moncaleano submitted fraudulent tax returns and Schedule C forms to the IRS, inflating clients’ personal and business losses to secure larger refunds. The scheme resulted in over $847,000 in losses to the IRS.
“A return preparer who artificially and illegally inflates your tax return is doing you no favors,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “Their greed and desire to prop up their business could leave you responsible for all that extra money you receive but which you are not entitled to.”