Lynn tax preparer faces fraud, obstruction charges

BOSTON – A Lynn tax preparer was arrested Monday and charged with filing fraudulent personal federal tax returns and attempting to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service. It was announced by U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and William P. Offord, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation in Boston.Arismendy Ramos, a/k/a Arismendi Ramos, a/k/a Aris Almonte, was charged in a criminal complaint with four counts of filing false tax returns and two counts of obstructing the IRS. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler ordered Ramos detained pending a further hearing.The complaint alleges Ramos owned and operated Almonte Tax, a tax preparation service in Lynn, and prepared tax returns for numerous clients. Ramos allegedly filed false forms with the IRS claiming that he paid the clients to work for him when, in fact, they had never been employed by him. Ramos then allegedly claimed the bogus wages as business expenses on his own personal tax returns, thereby illegally reducing his own tax liabilities. The obstruction charges allege that Ramos instructed two clients that they should lie if they were asked about the false wages.The charging statutes provide for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 for each count. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and a number of sentencing factors.The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.