NE Ohio man charged in alleged $8.8M tax-fraud scheme

CLEVELAND (AP) — A northeast Ohio man has been indicted on federal charges alleging he made false claims for income tax refunds totaling more than $8.8 million.

Federal prosecutors in Cleveland say Brian Krantz and corporations he controlled were issued 17 refund checks amounting to more than $3.6 million as a result of the alleged scheme.

Prosecutors say it involved fake Internal Revenue Service forms and that Krantz used some of the proceeds to finance a real-estate venture.

The 45-year-old Twinsburg man was indicted on 30 counts of making false claims and one count of conspiring to make false claims after an IRS investigation.

It wasn’t clear today if he had legal representation.

Prosecutors say his alleged co-conspirator pleaded guilty.