Wilner Cenecharles has pleaded guilty on April 9 to six counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax documents and two counts of filing false tax returns. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Cenecharles faces up to three years in federal prison for each count and has agreed to pay more than $65,000 in restitution. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Cenecharles worked as a tax preparer for Motivation Tax Financial Services, which operated from the Excelsior Barber Shop in Naples, Florida. He met with clients at the barbershop where he prepared their tax returns. According to court documents, Cenecharles added fictitious profits or losses from non-existent businesses and claimed false educational credits on several occasions to generate fraudulent refunds for his clients.
Additionally, authorities said that Cenecharles did not accurately report gross receipts on his own personal income tax returns and failed to disclose thousands of dollars he earned from preparing taxes.
The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7. The division's mission is "to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars." These efforts are part of President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, which aims "to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs."
The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey is prosecuting.
