Five face money laundering and fraud charges in years-long tax preparer scheme

BOSTON, April 27, 2026 – Five people are facing money laundering and various fraud-related charges after a Suffolk grand jury returned indictments earlier this month stemming from a multi-agency investigation into a tax scheme in Chelsea, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

DANNY OVIEDO, 37, of Lynn was charged Friday in Suffolk Superior court with three counts of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme, six counts of forgery of a document, six counts of utter false writing, three counts of identity fraud, three counts of aiding in false tax return, three counts of false tax return, two counts of failure to file tax return, larceny by false pretense in a commercial transaction, and money laundering.

MIRIAN PINEDA, 58, of Revere was charged with money laundering, larceny by false pretense in a commercial transaction, false tax return, and nine counts of failure to file tax return.

ESTEFANY OVIEDO, 34, Lynn was charged with larceny by false pretense in a commercial transaction, money laundering, and two counts of receiving stolen property over $1,200.

ANTONIO PIRES, 59, of Wilmington was charged with larceny by false pretense in a commercial transaction, and money laundering.

Clerk Magistrate Ed Curley released all four on personal recognizance. All are due back in court on June 22 for pre-trial hearings.

A fifth defendant, CARLOS OVIEDO REGALADO, 39, of Revere will be arraigned at a later date.

Hayden credited the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Bureau and Audit Bureau for their “extraordinary work in identifying and quantifying a sprawling tax scheme that victimized many to benefit a few.”

“This was an audacious, coordinated effort by a group of preparers to line their own pockets while duping the clients who trusted them with their tax returns. Beyond the criminal aspect, it’s an insult to everyone who pays their taxes fairly and honestly,” Hayden said.

Between April 19, 2017, and July 10, 2021, Danny Oviedo, a tax preparer for Lean’s Tax Service at 350 Broadway in Chelsea, filed tax returns with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue containing false deductions on behalf of clients. Additionally, Oviedo stole the identities of Lean’s Tax Service clients, prepared 145 fraudulent personal income tax returns, and had the refund checks made payable to and mailed to addresses and aliases associated with himself and his family members. Oviedo fraudulently endorsed checks totaling $222,827.48 to be deposited into his personal bank accounts and did not pay the refunds to his clients. Oviedo also failed to file a personal income tax return for himself in 2019 and 2020.

Mirian Pineda, Danny Oviedo’s mother and the president of Lean’s Tax Service, used deposits made to her company for the purpose of qualifying for a mortgage. Pineda reported that she was the sole owner of Lean’s Tax Service but did not report deposits totaling $391,161.63 on the 2020 or 2021 MA Corporate Excise Returns form to account for this income. Additionally, Pineda did not report any company funds for Lean’s Tax Service on her personal 2020 or 2021 personal income tax filings.

Estefany Oviedo, Danny Oviedo’s wife, opened bank accounts in her name where a majority of the 142 fraudulent refund checks totaling $217,159.48 were deposited. Among the checks deposited were two checks payable to others equaling $3,280.55, and one $30,000 check in 2021 payable to Danny Oviedo, which was used to purchase an official check for the total amount payable to Estefany Oviedo. 

Estefany Oviedo and associate Antonio Pires purchased a home at 7 Harrington Avenue in Revere directly with the fraudulent tax refund checks. Pires is married to an employee of Lean’s Tax Service and owns property in Lynn with Estefany Oviedo. Oviedo and Pires made false statements on the loan application for a mortgage related to income, assets, and occupancy. Pires stated that he would occupy the residence and receive rental income from Carlos Oviedo, an employee of Lean’s Tax Service and the brother of Danny Oviedo, for $3,000 a month; however, Pires never reported rental income on his personal tax return despite Carlos Oviedo listing his address as 7 Harrington Avenue on his tax filings.

“Taxpayers should be able to trust that their tax preparers are doing the right thing,” said Massachusetts Department of Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder. “This case is an example of the commitment of the DOR Criminal Investigations Bureau to combat tax preparers who abuse that trust for personal gain – whether by filing false returns with fraudulent deductions or obtaining fraudulent tax refunds from the DOR.”

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications