Crime & Safety
Man Accused of Tax Preparation Scam Flees the Country
A Cleveland man told Solon police he had more than $5,000 taken by Bedford Heights tax preparer
A 40-year-old Cleveland man was contacted earlier this month by an organization no one wants to hear from these days: The IRS.
The feds told the man he owed $4,000 in taxes, according to a Solon police report.
The problem? The guy who was doing the man's taxes during the last three years, 43-year-old Manasis "Manny" Gilay of Bedford Heights, has been accused of overestimating his customer's tax refund and keeping the difference, which is $5,217, according to Solon police.
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The bigger problem? Police say that Gilay has left the country for the Philippines and is unlikely to return.
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