Three Mexican citizens charged in $74M U.S. tax fraud scheme

Three Mexican citizens residing in the Atlanta metropolitan area have been charged in a federal indictment for an alleged tax refund fraud scheme that diverted more than $74 million from the U.S. Treasury.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Gustavo Rojano Salazar, Gabriel Rojano Salazar, and Andrés Huerta Rendón allegedly operated the scheme from 2019 through 2026. The indictment claims the defendants used Mexican identification documents belonging to third parties to obtain Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) from the IRS. They then allegedly submitted fraudulent tax returns to secure government-issued refund checks.

Prosecutors state that more than 16,000 checks were cashed, totaling over $74 million, through a check-cashing business. The defendants face charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Additionally, the Rojano Salazar brothers face charges related to allegedly making false statements on immigration documents. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison for certain counts and up to 15 years for immigration-related charges.