Sarasota man bilks IRS out of $700K

TAMPA — Sarasota resident Fernando Torres admitted yesterday in federal court that he prepared nearly $700,000 in fraudulent tax returns for illegal aliens.

Torres, 41, pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa. Torres, the release states, faces up to six years in prison.

Authorities contend Torres ran a tax preparation business that catered mostly to an illegal immigrant population in and around Sarasota County. Federal prosecutors, further, say Torres, in 2011 and 2012, prepared and filed 239 fraudulent tax returns with the IRS on behalf of his illegal immigrant clients.