Connecticut Tax Preparer Charged Over Crypto Losses on Assets Clients Never Owned

A Connecticut tax preparer has been charged with preparing false federal income tax returns that allegedly claimed losses on cryptocurrency and stocks her clients never owned. Prosecutors say the investment-loss claims were part of a broader scheme involving fabricated deductions and the diversion of clients’ refunds.

Yuridia Trujillo, 43, of Meriden, faces 19 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false income tax returns, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced on October 22, 2026. A federal grand jury in New Haven returned the indictment on October 7.

Trujillo operated under the business name Yuri’s LLC and prepared at least 4,335 client returns for tax years 2017 through 2024, authorities said. Prosecutors allege that many contained materially false entries; that total represents the returns she prepared, not a stated count of fraudulent filings.

The alleged inaccuracies extended beyond investments. Authorities say returns included false deductions for individual retirement account contributions and child and dependent care expenses, fabricated businesses and business deductions, and invented rental properties reporting little or no income alongside substantial deductible expenses.

The cryptocurrency allegations concern fictitious purchases and sales, rather than disagreements over the value of actual holdings. According to the government’s account of the indictment, clients had never owned the stocks or digital assets on which the reported losses were based.

That distinction matters because legitimate investment losses can reduce taxable income under federal tax rules. A capital loss generally arises when an investment is sold for less than its adjusted basis, and qualifying losses can offset capital gains. Unused losses may also be carried forward, subject to applicable rules and limits.

Separate allegations concern where clients’ refunds were deposited. Prosecutors say Trujillo filed false Forms 8888 alongside clients’ individual income tax returns, inserting account and routing information for bank accounts belonging to herself and an associate. The form allows a taxpayer to split a direct-deposit refund among as many as three accounts.

Authorities allege that those instructions diverted portions of clients’ refunds to Trujillo. The government’s announcement did not specify the total amount allegedly diverted or the overall tax loss attributed to the false returns, leaving the financial scale of the accusations unspecified in the public release.

Trujillo was arrested on October 9 and released on a $50,000 bond pending trial, according to prosecutors. Each count carries a maximum prison term of three years upon conviction. The charges remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley is handling the prosecution. The October 22 announcement did not provide a trial date; the allegations concerning both the return entries and refund allocations remain to be resolved in court.