News Desk · Fraud

Three charged in Georgia over $74 million tax refund scheme, including laundering conspiracy

The US Justice Department says three Atlanta-area residents used ITINs obtained in other people's names to file false returns and cashed more than 16,000 Treasury refund checks worth over $74 million. They are charged with fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

FraudUS14 Oct 20262 min read

On October 14, 2026, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that an indictment was unsealed in the Northern District of Georgia charging three Mexican citizens who lived in the Atlanta area: Gustavo Rojano Salazar, Gabriel Rojano Salazar and Andres Huerta Rendon. The DOJ says the indictment accuses them of a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by filing fraudulent tax returns. An indictment is only an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

According to the DOJ, from 2019 to the present the defendants obtained Mexican identification documents in other people's names and used them to obtain Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) from the IRS. An ITIN is a tax number the IRS issues to people who must file a US tax return but do not have a Social Security number. The DOJ says the defendants then prepared and filed tax returns in the ITIN holders' names to generate refunds, and had the refund checks mailed to post office boxes they controlled.

The DOJ says the defendants and others cashed more than 16,000 US Treasury tax refund checks worth over $74 million using a check cashing company. All three are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gustavo Rojano Salazar and Gabriel Rojano Salazar are also charged with making false statements on immigration forms.

IRS Criminal Investigation, the US Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.

Why it matters to AML professionals

Government refund checks are a common target for identity-based fraud, and check cashers and banks are often where the proceeds first enter the financial system. Large volumes of Treasury checks made out to many different people but presented by the same individuals are a pattern AML professionals at money services businesses and banks are expected to catch and report.

Red flags in this case

One customer or a small group repeatedly presenting government refund checks payable to many different people
Many tax refund checks issued to different payees but linked to the same mailing address or post office box
Payees whose identification documents are foreign and cannot be matched to a verifiable person or address
Check volumes that are far larger than the customer's stated business or personal profile

If this landed in your queue

Compare the payee on each check with the person presenting it and the identification provided
Group checks by mailing address, post office box and presenter to spot shared links
Review the customer's history for the total number and value of government checks cashed over time
Escalate and file a SAR when the pattern suggests checks are being cashed for people who are not present

Key terms

ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number): A tax number the IRS issues to people who must file a US tax return but cannot get a Social Security number.
Check cashing company: A money services business that cashes checks for a fee, often for customers without a bank account.
Conspiracy to commit money laundering: An agreement between two or more people to move or hide criminal proceeds, which is a crime even before every step is completed.

Interview angle

A check casher customer brings in dozens of tax refund checks made out to different people each month. How would you assess it?

Explain checking payee identity against the presenter, looking for shared addresses or post office boxes, comparing volumes with the customer profile, and filing a SAR if the activity cannot be explained.

Sources

US Department of Justice: Mexican Citizens Charged in a Fraudulent Tax Scheme

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Every fact in AMLift News Desk stories comes from an official source: a regulator, court, government gazette or the company's own filing.