Meriden tax preparer charged with tax fraud offenses

Date: Oct. 22, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that Yuridia Trujillo of Meriden has been charged by indictment with preparing numerous false income tax returns.

As alleged in the indictment, Trujillo operated as a tax return preparer under the business name Yuri’s LLC. For the 2017 through 2024 tax years, Trujillo prepared at least 4,335 tax returns for clients. On many of her clients’ tax returns, Trujillo made materially false entries, including false deductions for Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) contributions and child and dependent care expenses; fabricated businesses and business deductions; fictitious losses for the buying and selling of stocks and cryptocurrency that clients never owned; and fabricated rental properties that would report little to no rental income, but significant deductible rental expenses.

The indictment further alleges that in association with preparing and filing Forms 1040 for clients, Trujillo also filed Forms 8888, entitled “Allocation of Refund,” which allow taxpayers to elect to have a portion of a direct deposit tax refund deposited into up to three different bank accounts. Trujillo filed false Forms 8888 in connection with client tax returns that included the bank account and routing numbers of her own bank account and the bank account of an associate, thereby diverting a portion of client refunds to herself.

On Oct. 7, 2026, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Trujillo with 19 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false income tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count.

Trujillo was arrested on Oct. 9, 2026, and is released on a $50,000 bond pending trial.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.