Orlando, Florida - Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Rigaud Colin (49, Apopka) to two years and three months in federal prison for wire fraud and making a false claim to the United States. He was also ordered to forfeit $189,409, which represents the proceeds Colin obtained as a result of his offenses. Colin pleaded guilty on July 25, 2017.
According to court documents, Colin was the owner and operator of Rigaud Investment Group, Inc., a tax preparation business in Orange County. Using his business, he executed a scheme to defraud the IRS by preparing and filing false and fraudulent income tax returns for residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands who were not eligible to receive tax refunds from the IRS. Colin included false and fraudulent addresses and education tax credit claims in the tax returns that he had electronically filed with the IRS on behalf of the Virgin Islands residents. As a result of Colin’s scheme, the IRS sustained a loss of $1,393,097.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
