Bergen Man Sentenced To 2 Years For Tax Fraud: Officials

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Bergen County man will spend two years in prison for filing fake tax returns, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced Tuesday.

Emmanuel A. Barrientos-Fermin, 39, of Tenafly previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a news release.

U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi sentenced Barrientos-Fermin to 24 months and two days in prison, and ordered him pay $17,373 in restitution, Sellinger said.

In early 2020, Barrientos and others filed fake tax returns after stealing personal identifying information (PII) from victims, Sellinger said.

"A conspirator would obtain falsified Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates and W-2s bearing the victims’ stolen PII and provide them to Barrientos-Fermin and other, who would use them to file tax returns at various tax preparation company branches posing as the victims," Sellinger said.