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8 in Mass. charged with stealing almost $9 million in tax refunds
Prosecutors say tax refund checks were altered and made payable to shell companies controlled by the defendants.
Eight residents throughout Eastern Massachusetts have been charged with allegedly stealing U.S. Treasury tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
The alleged tax refund thefts happened in 2023 and 2024, officials said.
According to prosecutors, each check represented a tax refund or credit due to a taxpayer but had allegedly been altered to be payable to shell companies controlled by the defendants. Each defendant is accused of depositing one or more of the fraudulent checks at banks or credit unions in and around the Boston area.
The defendants include Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, of Brockton, charged with theft of $861,646 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; Nnamdi Opara, 30, of Woburn, charged with theft of $700,767 in government funds; Gurprit Singh, 34, of Framingham, charged with theft of $2,547,508 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; and Domingo Villari, 49, of Framingham, charged with theft of $1,288,575 in government funds.
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Six of the eight accused defendants have been arrested. Allegra and Amarpreet Singh remained at large as of June 6.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. “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. This office and its law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out fraud and abuse in the federal tax system.”
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the charge of theft of government funds carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of bank fraud carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
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