{"id":704,"date":"2026-06-26T10:41:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=704"},"modified":"2026-06-26T10:41:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:41:46","slug":"illegal-immigrant-sentenced-to-eight-years-in-89-million-payroll-tax-fraud-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=704","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Eight Years in $89 Million Payroll Tax Fraud Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An illegal immigrant from Honduras has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in an $89 million payroll fraud scheme that authorities said enabled the illegal employment of unauthorized construction workers while evading millions of dollars in taxes.<\/p>\n

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According to the Department of Justice, Mario Flores pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.<\/p>\n

Federal officials said Flores and his co-conspirators operated a network of shell companies between 2015 and 2022 to run an unlicensed check-cashing and cash courier business.<\/p>\n

According to court documents, the shell companies cashed approximately $89 million in checks from construction subcontractors, charging a fee based on the value of each transaction.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said the arrangement allowed contractors and subcontractors to pay workers in cash without withholding or paying required payroll taxes, enabling them to employ workers without regard to their legal authorization to work in the United States.<\/p>\n

Authorities also alleged Flores caused false tax documents to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service to conceal the operation.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department said the scheme resulted in more than $38 million in losses to American taxpayers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday, we held an illegal alien from Honduras accountable for a brazen scheme that stole more than $38 million from American taxpayers to facilitate the employment of illegal aliens,\u201d Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case exposes how unchecked illegal immigration fuels widespread payroll tax fraud and underground economies that harm American workers and taxpayers,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cThis sentence sends a strong message: Those who exploit our open borders, cheat the U.S. Treasury, and violate federal laws will face justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal officials also alleged that Flores and his associates defrauded workers\u2019 compensation insurance companies by leasing insurance certificates to contractors and providing false information about the number of covered workers and their wages.<\/p>\n

John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations said the agency remains committed to pursuing large-scale employment and tax fraud schemes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting the integrity of our financial system and enforcing our nation\u2019s laws,\u201d Condon said. \u201cThose who orchestrate large-scale payroll tax fraud and facilitate the illegal employment of unauthorized workers will be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Justice Department, Flores\u2019s co-conspirators, Iris Villafranca, Osman Zapata and Francisco Alvarez, were previously sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 17 years.<\/p>\n

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An illegal immigrant from Honduras has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in an $89 million payroll fraud scheme that authorities said\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIllegal Immigrant Sentenced to Eight Years in $89 Million Payroll Tax Fraud Scheme - Urban Economy news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=704\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Eight Years in $89 Million Payroll Tax Fraud Scheme - 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