FLORIDA — A U.S. District Court has issued a permanent injunction against a tax return preparer from West Palm Beach, barring him from preparing tax returns or owning any tax preparation business.
The injunction comes after allegations that Gregory Salgado, doing business as GMJ Real Investments Inc. and Cuba Salgado Tax & Real Estate, continued to falsify returns despite previous convictions and penalties.
According to the complaint, Mr Salgado pleaded guilty in 2012 to filing false tax returns for himself and others, leading to more than $500,000 in civil penalties. Despite serving 33 months in prison and being released in 2015, he reportedly continued to file thousands of fraudulent tax returns for clients.
These returns allegedly reduced tax liabilities or inflated refunds by falsifying deductions, fabricating business income and expenses, and misrepresenting filing statuses.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Salgado agreed to the permanent injunction, which prohibits him from participating in tax preparation activities.
Additionally, Mr Salgado must pay $85,000 in ill-gotten gains and notify all customers who received services from him or his business since January 2019 of the injunction.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.