Wednesday, June 19, 2019 | 7:45 p.m.
A man on probation for a felony fraud conviction used his tax preparation business in Las Vegas to cheat the federal government, according to the U.S. attorney for the district of Nevada.
Rosalio Amezcua Alcantar, 67, pleaded guilty in March to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, and on Wednesday was sentenced to 15 months in prison — the suggested time his legal team provided in a court memorandum.
Alcantar underreported the taxable income for his business, Direct Services Group, by $140,000 from 2013 to 2016, in addition to defrauding the Social Security Administration to obtain benefits on behalf of himself and his daughter, officials said.
On his clients’ tax returns, he claimed charitable donations and expenses they did not make, officials said. The Internal Revenue Service was schemed out of more than $200,000.
At the time of the crimes, Alcantar was in the midst of a three-year probation sentence on a mail and wire fraud conspiracy he participated in while he served as a notary, according to court documents.
Alcantar owes the government more than $62,500 in restitution and one year of supervised release once he’s out of prison, officials said.
In the 20-page sentencing memorandum, his lawyer wrote that while Alcantar admits to the crimes, he is not a danger to the community. It included pictures of his daughter, who is disabled and whom he takes care of, a letter from his ex-wife vowing that he’s a “good person,” a note from his church that claimed he volunteered, and two doctor’s appointment slips.
“Upon his release,” the memorandum reads, “Mr. Alcantar will not commit future crimes, regardless of the length of his sentence. This experience has showed Mr. Alcantar that his actions were wrong and that there will be consequences for such actions.”
