8 Mass. residents accused of stealing tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8M, US Attorney says
Eight Massachusetts residents have been charged in the theft of U.S. Treasury tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8 million in 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorney said Friday.
Six of the residents were arrested Friday. Two remain at large, authorities said.
Each of the U.S. Treasury checks that were stolen represented a tax refund or tax credit due to a taxpayer, but were altered to be payable to shell companies controlled by the residents, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Each resident allegedly deposited one or more fraudulent checks at banks or credit unions in and around metro Boston, Foley said.
Foley said the following people are charged in separate indictments:
Gurprit Singh, 34, of Framingham, charged with theft of $2,547,508 in government funds;
Eric Banks, 70, of Quincy, charged with theft of $1,173,482 in government funds;
Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, charged with theft of $1,355,863 in government funds;
Domingo Villari, 49, of Framingham, charged with theft of $1,288,575 in government funds;
Nnamdi Opara, 30, of Woburn, charged with theft of $700,767 in government funds;
Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, of Brockton, charged with theft of $861,646 in government funds;
Amarpreet Singh, 33, of Framingham, charged with theft of $536,214 in government funds;
Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, of Hyde Park, charged with theft of $150,000 in government funds and bank fraud of $232,588.
Gurprit Singh, Banks, El-Ghoul, Opara, Smith-Matthews and Villari are in federal custody and were scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday.
Allegra and Amarpreet Singh remain at large, Foley said.
'As alleged, these defendants stole millions in tax refunds owed to hardworking Americans and used Massachusetts businesses and community banks to defraud the U.S. Treasury,' Foley said.
'Would-be thieves should understand that taking government money is not a victimless crime. If you cash or deposit a refund check that you know is not yours, you will be prosecuted,' Foley said. 'This office and its law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out fraud and abuse in the federal tax system.'
Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office, said Friday's arrests demonstrate his agency's 'commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of Treasury check theft.'
'The theft and altering of Treasury checks is a growing issue that impacts all Americans,' Demeo said. 'IRS-CI will continue to work diligently to bring all those who prey on American taxpayers to justice.'
For the charge of theft of government funds, each defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
For the charge of bank fraud, Smith-Matthews faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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