After six years on the run, a Mexican man who lived in Nashville when he allegedly defrauded the U.S. government has been captured by authorities.
“Claudio Juarez, 40, was arrested at his residence in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this morning and transported to the Middle District of Tennessee. He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later this afternoon,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). “Juarez and others were charged in 2016 with conspiracy to file false claims against the United States, wire fraud, and theft of more than $1,000 of public money.”
Juarez, who is an illegal alien, was arrested Wednesday.
According to the release, the tax scheme was widespread and involved nearly 50 people. It said 46 people were charged and convicted after search warrants were executed at homes and tax preparation businesses in Tennessee.
Those tax preparation businesses included Soto Services, at its locations in Madison, Hermitage, Springfield, and Gallatin, and S Income Tax Services in Nashville.
The release said that Juarez’s role in the scheme was to cash fraudulent checks and provide bogus identification documentation like W-2 forms.
“During the investigation, more than $1 million in cash was seized, as well as several late model, luxury automobiles and 11 Nashville-area properties,” according to the release. “Many of the individuals charged, including Juarez, were in the United States illegally.”
Juarez initially evaded capture and avoided the fate endured by his fellow fraudsters, but the law caught up with him after he allegedly filed more fraudulent tax returns this year.
“In 2016, when agents attempted to arrest Juarez and others, he evaded arrest, and efforts to locate him in the interim were fruitless until earlier this month, when agents learned that Juarez had filed at least two suspected fraudulent tax returns with the IRS,” the release said. “Further investigation led the agents to a Bowling Green tax preparer and then to Juarez.”
If convicted, Juarez faces a five-year potential prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, and possibly deportation.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigated the alleged crimes, along with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which typically investigates crimes committed by illegal aliens.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
And possible deportation?
Of course not. He might get a slap on the wrist then sent on his way with a goodie bag.