Woman Gets 3 Years in Prison for $9M Nashua Tax Scheme Involving Church Leaders

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A Florida woman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for participating in a $9 million tax refund scheme involving church leaders from across the country.

Ann Marie Howard Aguiar, 47, of Jacksonville, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Authorities said the scheme was organized by former Nashua resident Craig S. Cudhea.

“Cudhea recruited a nationwide network of pastors to solicit members of their congregations to provide their names and social security numbers on the false pretense that their personal identifying information would be used to secure stimulus funds that the government was giving to the poor, disabled and unemployed,” U.S. Attorney John Kacavas said in a statement. “Cudhea then transmitted the personal identifying information to approximately eight women around the country who had been recruited via the internet to enter the information on electronic tax returns ... Cudhea dubbed this group of women his ’Angels,’ and Aguiar was one of Cudhea’s Angels.”

Cudhea and his Angels filed more than 5,000 false tax returns seeking refunds of approximately $9.4 million. The IRS paid out $4 million before authorities uncovered the scheme. Cudhea committed suicide after learning he was being prosecuted.

“Prosecuting cases of financial fraud, particularly cases in which the American taxpayer is the victim, is an essential mission of my office,” Kacavas said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute fraudsters and restore stolen monies to the public.”