NAUGATUCK — A grand jury indicted a borough tax preparer recently after authorities say she filed multiple false tax returns for area customers.
Ana Nunez, 47, of Naugatuck, was charged with a dozen counts of filing false tax returns. She pleaded not guilty to the felonies.
Nunez, of Scott Road, is suspected of operating a Church Street tax preparation business, Nunez MultiServices, which she used to file returns with fake or inflated tax deductions from 2011 to 2016, authorities claim.
Federal authorities also allege Nunez provided hard copies of the returns to her clients, which reflected her tax prep fees. Clients received refunds, but the returns that were actually filed on her client’s behalf to the IRS included much larger deductions.
As a result, Nunez was able to keep a larger portion of the refunds without her clients knowing, according to federal authorities.
For instance, Nunez filed a return for a Middletown resident in 2011 that claimed the man had $2,000 in education expenses, which he never incurred, according to authorities. By having the IRS deposit some of the refunds directly into her bank account, Nunez kept $1,813 from the client’s refund, fees which the client hadn’t authorized, authorities allege.
On another client’s return, Nunez claimed her own mother provided $2,000 in child care to the client to inflate the tax return, when that care hadn’t occurred, authorities allege. Other returns claimed false unreimbursed mileage for work, as well as charitable donations that were never made, federal authorities allege.
The clients resided in towns throughout the state, including Waterbury, Middletown, Canton and Simsbury, a federal indictment shows.
When reached Wednesday, Nunez referred a reporter to her attorney, Patrick A. Mullin, saying she could not comment until the “problem is fixed.”
Mullin said his client denied the charges that have been brought against her.
Nunez, who also goes by the name Ana Pagoaga, posted a $150,000 bond in connection with the case. If she’s found guilty, Nunez faces up to 36 years in prison.
