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For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
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December 2, 2008  

Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Deborah L. Gramiccioni, Director

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Four Paterson Men Indicted on Charges They Conspired to Steal $272,000 from State by Filing False Tax Returns

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TRENTON – Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that four men have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to steal $272,000 by filing more than 100 fraudulent state tax returns.

According to Director Gramiccioni, the following men, all Paterson residents, were charged yesterday in a state grand jury indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice:

  • Wilyn Caceres, 32, was charged with conspiracy, money laundering and receiving stolen property, all in the second degree.
  • Jason Perez, 23, was charged with conspiracy and receiving stolen property, both in the second degree.
  • Lisaldo Ramon Espinal, 24, was charged with second-degree conspiracy and third-degree receiving stolen property.
  • Miguel A. Hernandez, 20, was charged with second-degree conspiracy and third-degree receiving stolen property.

Caceres was arrested at home today by state detectives assisted by the Paterson Police. Perez was arrested today at his job in Ridgefield. Espinal has agreed through his attorney to surrender tomorrow. An arrest warrant is pending for Hernandez. Caceres and Perez are being held in the Mercer County Jail with bail for each set at $500,000. The indictment was sealed until today.

The indictment resulted from a joint investigation by the Division of Taxation - Office of Criminal Investigation and the Division of Criminal Justice - Major Crimes Bureau. Between April 18 and Aug. 15, 2007, the defendants allegedly conspired to file 117 fraudulent New Jersey Gross Income Tax returns, which resulted in them receiving $272,044 in refund checks that they allegedly laundered through a number of bank accounts.

“This was a major tax refund scam,” said Attorney General Milgram. “Fortunately, auditors in the Division of Taxation detected that the refund checks were obtained by fraud and, working with the Division of Criminal Justice, traced them to the defendants.”

“This is an example of our efforts to be vigilant when it comes to enforcing our tax laws,” said Maureen Adams, Director of the Division of Taxation. “We will continue to do all that we can to ensure that taxpayers file appropriately and that refunds are delivered only to those who legitimately are entitled to receive them.”

“We will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who attempt to steal from the State of New Jersey and its taxpayers through fraud,” said Director Gramiccioni. “As in this case, we will follow the money and other evidence wherever it leads.”

The investigation was led by Auditor Lee Roach of the Division of Taxation - Office of Criminal Investigation and Sgt. Robert Walker of the Division of Criminal Justice - Major Crimes Bureau. The case was presented to the grand jury by Deputy Attorney General Denise Grugan of the Major Crimes Bureau.

The tax refund scheme was uncovered in August 2007, when auditors in the Division of Taxation - Office of Criminal Investigation detected an abnormal pattern involving the refund checks. Looking at the computer-generated tax returns related to the refunds, they noted similarities. They also identified irregularities in the accompanying W-2 forms, which proved to be fraudulent. Working with the Division of Criminal Justice - Major Crimes Bureau, they traced the refund checks to the defendants.

Most of the refund checks, which ranged from $1,500 to $3,676, were allegedly cashed by Caceres at a bank branch office in Passaic where he worked or were deposited by him into a series of accounts he opened there using stolen or fraudulent identification information. The defendants allegedly withdrew money from those accounts – and an account opened by Perez at another bank, where refund checks were also deposited – in the form of cash, ATM withdrawals, debit charges and checks. Sizeable transfers were also made among the various accounts.

Caceres, his cousin Espinal, and Perez were involved in operating a business called Global Movement LLC on Market Street in Paterson, which was a tax preparation service, travel agency and money transmitter. Several of the bank accounts were in the name of Global Movement.

Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine, while third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg in Mercer County, who assigned the case to be heard in Mercer County.

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