Two Charged With Filing False Tax Returns
Two men were charged Wednesday with filing false tax returns and allegedly receiving substantial tax refunds from bogus withholding on gambling winnings, prosecutors said.
Carlos Alvarez, 40, owner of A&B; Professional Services in Van Nuys, and Mavix International Trading Corp. owner Manual Zajdman, 64, were accused of filing false returns in 1998 and 1999 using the names and Social Security numbers of fictitious taxpayers.
The tax returns claimed that the taxpayers had won large sums of money at Southern California racetracks as well as endured substantial gambling losses, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The indictment alleges the defendants claimed in the returns that taxpayers were entitled to refunds ranging from $25,000 to $70,000 based on withholding by the racetracks.
If convicted on all counts, Alvarez faces 40 years in prison and Zajdman could be behind bars for 30 years, prosecutors said.
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