Four Indian-origin accountants have pleaded guilty in a major tax fraud case in Texas that resulted in millions of dollars in losses to the US government, authorities said.
The accused — Subhala Suresh, Matthews Chacko, Anish Pillai and Mou Kundu — were found to have prepared false federal tax returns for clients by inflating or fabricating business expenses, enabling them to claim refunds they were not entitled to.
Though each handled separate clients, court documents describe the four as co-conspirators in the scheme.
Subhala Suresh, the latest to plead guilty, admitted to causing a tax loss between $250,000 and $550,000. She faces up to three years in prison, along with possible supervised release, restitution and fines.
Matthews Chacko, identified as a key figure in the operation, used a similar method — falsely reporting business expenses to reduce taxable income and increase refunds. Investigators said that in some cases, such claims were made without clients’ knowledge, while in others, clients were informed. Chacko admitted to causing losses exceeding $3.5 million but less than $9.5 million and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the IRS.
Anish Pillai and Mou Kundu had earlier pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. Pillai admitted to causing losses between $1.5 million and $3.5 million, while Kundu acknowledged losses between $250,000 and $550,000. Both face up to three years in prison.
Sentencing for all four individuals is pending.
