Miami-Dade police

South Florida Accountants Accused of Stealing Thousands of Tax Return Dollars

Juan Mendieta, 50, and Leandro Machado Gonzalez, 26, were arrested on money laundering, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft charges, Miami-Dade Police officials said Tuesday

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Juan Mendieta appears in bond court in Miami-Dade.

Two South Florida accountants are facing charges after authorities said they stole thousands of tax return dollars from clients.

Juan Mendieta, 50, and Leandro Machado Gonzalez, 26, were arrested on money laundering, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft charges, Miami-Dade Police officials said Tuesday.

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Juan Mendieta and Leandro Machado Gonzalez
Miami-Dade Corrections
Juan Mendieta and Leandro Machado Gonzalez

Officials said the arrests came after a lengthy investigation into Mendieta and Gonzalez, who own an accounting firm, Famous Accounting Inc., that prepares and submits tax returns for clients.

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The pair alleged falsified client information submitted to the Internal Revenue Service and used a business bank account to collect inflated tax returns, police said.

In one instance, they allegedly collected more than $29,000 after preparing a client's tax documents, police said.

When confronted by several clients about their missing tax returns, the pair would write worthless checks to cover their fraudulent practices, police said.

Detectives believe there could be more victims and are asking anyone who may have had their tax return deposits stolen to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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