Mexican national convicted of preparing false tax returns for clients

Date: May 12, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Denver, CO - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nancy Maldonado Alvarez, a Mexican national, was convicted on 37 counts of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false tax returns for clients.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alvarez owned and operated a tax preparation business in Denver that she used to prepare false tax returns claiming refunds her clients were not entitled to receive. Alvarez carried out her tax fraud scheme by fabricating business losses, often for non-existent businesses, and by seeking the paid sick and family leave credit, which Congress created to aid struggling businesses and others during the COVID-19 global pandemic, even though many of her clients did not qualify for the credit. She also collected preparation fees that sometimes exceeded $2,000 per return, often unbeknownst to her clients. In total, Alvarez caused a loss to the United States exceeding $150,000.

Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

Senior United States District Judge John L. Kane presided over the trial.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff for the District of Colorado and Trial Attorney Daniel R. Glenn of the Criminal Division's Tax Section handled the prosecution.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ('Fraud Division'). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.