12 years in prison for NJ man in $170M COVID-19 tax relief fraud case

A Teaneck tax preparer who sought more than $170 million in fraudulent tax refunds treated COVID relief funds as his “personal cash machine,” the U.S. attorney for New Jersey said.

By: Sophie Nieto-Munoz

Outlets: New Jersey Monitor

Published: April 8, 2026

Words: 382

Last Updated: 5 days, 9 hours ago

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A Teaneck tax preparer was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for orchestrating what prosecutors say is the largest COVID-19 tax relief fraud case tried to date in the nation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced Wednesday.

Leon Haynes, 52, was ordered to serve prison time following a six-day jury trial in November 2025. Haynes was convicted of 15 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation …

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