CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jason Jimenez, 38, Jessica Rosario, 36, and Ashley Walker, 32, all of Rochester, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and preparing fraudulent tax returns. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marangola, who is prosecuting the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, between 2012 and 2015, defendant Jimenez oversaw the tax preparation service “Fast Cash Tax.” Defendants Rosario and Walker were employed as tax preparers. Law enforcement officers were notified by some customers of the defendants that information, including earnings income, included on their tax returns was fraudulent and inflated which resulted in a higher tax return.
The defendants made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian Payson. They were released and will return to court on March 24, 2017, for a status conference.
The arrest was the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kathy A. Enstrom.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.