Date: October 7, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov MIAMI – Abel Raphael, of Key West, Florida has pled guilty in federal court to aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of false tax returns. Raphael was a professional tax return preparer and operated Abel Income Tax Service Inc., in Monroe County. In connection with his guilty plea, Raphael admitted that he obtained an Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) to submit tax returns electronically to the IRS in the names of others. Raphael prepared the returns using false deduction and tax credit figures, then electronically filed them with the IRS. Sentencing will be scheduled before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in Key West, Florida. Raphael faces up to three years in prison. Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Matthew D. Line, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami, and Robert M. DeWitt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, announced the guilty plea. IRS-CI Miami and FBI Miami Key West Resident Agency investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Thompson.
