An Elmont tax preparer was convicted Friday on all 18 federal counts in a fraudulent tax return scheme that prosecutors estimate cost the Internal Revenue Service more than $1 million.
Frantzson Saintilien, 65, of Elmont, was found guilty Oct. 9 following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan in federal court in Brooklyn. He faces up to 54 years in prison and financial penalties when sentenced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Federal prosecutors said Saintilien operated a multi-service business at 1 Elmont Road in Elmont, where he prepared fraudulent federal income tax returns for clients between 2019 and 2023.
Evidence presented at trial established that Saintilien submitted returns for tax years 2018 through 2022 containing fictitious business expenses, fabricated financial losses and fraudulent tax credits designed to reduce his clients’ tax liabilities and generate larger refunds.
The false claims included federal fuel tax credits for nontaxable fuel uses, nonexistent losses from asset sales and business expenses that clients had not incurred.
As a result, the IRS issued refunds exceeding the amounts taxpayers were legally entitled to receive. Prosecutors said Saintilien frequently diverted portions of those improper refunds to himself without his clients’ knowledge.
The fraudulent returns specifically identified in the indictment caused more than $100,000 in losses to the IRS. Federal authorities estimate that the overall scheme cost the government well over $1 million.
“The defendant is a serial fraudster who was masquerading as a tax preparer, but instead of performing an important service, he victimized clients who trusted him and willfully stole government funds from the IRS,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.
Harry T. Chavis Jr., special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s New York Field Office, said the verdict demonstrated the agency’s commitment to holding dishonest tax preparers accountable and protecting the federal tax system.
Saintilien’s sentencing date was not provided in the announcement.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Ann Sussman, Amanda Muros-Bishoff and Joshua B. Dugan.
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