Las Vegas man sentenced for scheme to claim millions of dollars through false tax returns
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026 | 1:13 p.m.
A Las Vegas man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after filing fraudulent tax returns seeking millions of dollars in refunds, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
“Mr. Odiaga’s federal prison sentence sends a clear message that tax professionals who abuse their position of trust and steal from taxpayers are being held accountable,” stated John Abram, acting special agent in charge for the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) San Francisco Field Office.
Between 2017 and 2021, Ivan Odaiga, of Las Vegas, and his mother and co-defendant, Iris Hondermann, prepared tax returns at Silver State Tax & Multiservices LLC for clients falsely claiming business profits and losses, COVID-19, sick and family leave credits and residential energy credits, the release stated.
In some instances, Odaiga prepared some of these returns using the Preparer Tax Identification Number of another tax preparer without permission.
The two, in total, sought more than $5 million in refunds that their clients were not entitled to receive, also diverting more than $1.1 million in fraudulent tax refunds to their own bank accounts.
“This office has zero tolerance for corrupt tax professionals who treat the U.S. Treasury like their personal slush fund and prey on innocent taxpayers,” stated Sigal Chattah, first assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Odaiga had pled guilty to his part in the scheme and today was sentenced to 38 months in prison in federal court for his part in the scheme.
Hondermann previously pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiring to defraud the U.S.; she is currently serving a 30-month sentence.
“Today’s sentence makes it crystal clear: if you scheme to defraud the government and steal from your clients, we will hunt you down, dismantle your operation, and ensure you face hard time in federal prison,” Chattah stated.