Kissimmee man sentenced to over three years for filing a false tax return

Date: May 4, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Tampa, FL - Gilmar Pereira Da Silva, Jr. has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Katherine K. Mizelle to 37 months in federal prison for filing a false tax return. The court also ordered Pereira Da Silva to pay $103,646 in restitution to the United States Department of the Treasury associated with false IRS Forms 1040 filed by him for tax years 2019 and 2020. Pereira Da Silva pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Pereira Da Silva filed a false Form 1040 tax return with the IRS for tax year 2021, wherein he claimed a refund of taxes in the amount of $3,413,844, based upon false and fictitious claimed fuel tax credits to which he was not entitled. The 2021 Form 1040 was not processed by the IRS. Previously, Pereira Da Silva had likewise filed false Forms 1040 for tax years 2019 and 2020, claiming refunds in the amount of approximately $20,699 (for tax year 2019) and $82,947 (for tax year 2020), which were largely based upon false and fictitious fuel tax credits. Those false 2019 and 2020 Forms 1040 were processed by the IRS, and the resulting refunds were paid into accounts controlled by Pereira Da Silva.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support 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.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant.

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.