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Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Sioux Falls – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation and Presentation of a False and Fraudulent Return and Wire Fraud. The sentencing took place on Sept. 21, 2026.
Amon Eustache Aboua was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Aboua was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Victims Fund and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $540,267.43 for the income tax fraud, as well as $232,600 he agreed to pay in child support he owed.
Aboua was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2026.
Aboua operated a tax business called ACU Tax Services, from February 2018 through April 2019 and prepared fraudulent tax returns on behalf of Sioux Falls taxpayers. He filled out the forms, falsely claiming deductions for other taxes, charitable deductions, and itemized expenses, which reduced the taxable income and lowered the amount of tax owed for over 20 individuals, resulting in a tax loss to the United States. The clients for whom he prepared the returns did not provide him with fraudulent information—this scheme was entirely devised and implemented by Aboua in order to enrich himself with money stolen from the government. The IRS identified more than 500 returns tied to Aboua and ACU Tax Services claiming deductions for “other taxes,” during the charged period. The total tax loss to the United States was identified as $540,267.43.
“The federal prosecutors of this office are committed to protecting taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “If you are defrauding the government—whatever form that theft may take and no matter the type of scheme employed—you can expect to hear from us.”
“Return preparers have a responsibility to prepare and submit accurate tax returns on behalf of their clients,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “Mr. Aboua admitted he not only failed that responsibility but used the falsely inflated refunds to enrich himself unbeknownst to his clients. The sentence should be a warning for other return preparers who are making a career out of defrauding taxpayers and the U.S. Treasury.”
The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson.
Aboua was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his sentence.
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.