Frantzson Saintilien, Elmont tax preparer, faces the possibility of 50 years in prison for filing bogus returns

An Elmont man faces more than five decades in prison after he was convicted of preparing fraudulent tax returns federal officials said cost the government more than $1 million.

Frantzson Saintilien, 65, filed returns to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service riddled with phony fuel expenses, business losses and tax credits to reduce the tax liability of his clients, according to a news release from the office of Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

At his Elmont Road business, Saintilien filed the bogus returns for tax years 2018 through 2022, Nocella’s release said. He prepared forms that indicated his clients “incurred losses from the sale of assets” and other false claims, according to Nocella’s release. As a result, the IRS issued larger refunds than each filer was owed. Unknown to his clients, Santilien kept some of the funds from many of the excessive returns for himself.

On Sept. 30, 2024, Saintilien was charged with 18 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns in a federal indictment, according to court records. Those 18 examples of phony tax returns “resulted in a loss of more than $100,000 to the IRS,” according to Nocella’s office. Federal officials estimated that the full scope of Saintilien fraudulent behavior “cost the government well in excess” of $1 million.

A jury convicted Saintilien on Friday before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan. He faces up to 54 years in federal prison when sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.  

Michael Weil, Saintilien’s defense attorney, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Saintilien secured one of the 120,000 federal Paycheck Protection Program loans distributed to Nassau and Suffolk nonprofits from 2020 to 2021, Newsday database of local PPP loan recipients. His $20,691 loan was forgiven.