Thread: Local man takes plea in federal tax scam

Local man takes plea in federal tax scam
by: Lisa Brown
(4/3/2009)
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Four people, including a Lincolnton man, pled guilty on charges stemming from an investigation into a tax refund fraud conspiracy.

Miguel Loria, 36, Lincolnton, Jose Peralta, 31, Shelby, Richard Varela 22, and Mario Martinez, 50, both of Gastonia, each pled guilty to two felony counts of conspiracy and one felony count of aggravated identity theft Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte.

From January to November 2008, the defendants obtained $12 million by cashing fraudulent tax refund checks at several money service businesses throughout the state, reported Suellen Pierce, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice in North Carolina in an official statement.

Loria, who owned and operated La Libertad Inc., and El Nuevo Irazu, both in Lincolnton, obtained $2.6 million at La Libertad alone, Pierce said.

Loria, as well as the other conspirators, also cashed fraudulent refund checks at a Gastonia money service business known as “L.D.â€

This stuff is rampent and they wonder why we're in the shape we're in.

[quote]“A corrupt postal employee in New York assisted in stealing the false tax refund check from the mail and gave the (checks) to participants in the scheme.â€