Unlicensed Lawyer Found Guilty of Federal Fraud and Tax Offenses for Bilking ‘Clients’ and Claiming Illegal Tax Refunds

          LOS ANGELES – A Pasadena man who falsely claimed to be a licensed attorney was remanded into custody this afternoon after a federal jury found him guilty of fraud charges related to his representation of “clients” in federal and state courts.

          Kenneth Paul Ferreyro, 37, who resided in Glendale during most of the criminal conduct, was also convicted of tax offenses for seeking well over $100,000 in refunds on federal tax returns that falsely claimed substantial payroll taxes had been withheld and remitted to the Internal Revenue Service.

          Following a four-day trial in United States District Court, the jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting Ferreyro of four counts of wire fraud and four counts of making false claims on his tax returns.

          The evidence presented at trial showed that, from at least 2010 to 2017, Ferreyro told people, most of whom were affiliated with his father’s church, that he could represent them in United States Bankruptcy Court and other courts and that he could perform work related to real estate refinancing and tax liens. While Ferreyro did graduate from a law school, he never received a license to practice law.

          In relation to several victims, Ferreyro prepared and/or filed bankruptcy petitions in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Phoenix. In relation to petitions filed in the Central District of California, Ferreyro concealed his participation by claiming that the victims were filing on their own behalf.

          Ferreyro also “represented” a person in a child support dispute in a state court in Idaho, and he charged another person $5,000 based on false claims he could remove federal tax liens so the victim could refinance a residence.

          Ferreyro, who at times described himself as a “tax attorney,” also defrauded the government by making false claims on tax returns he filed for the years 2013 through 2016. Ferreyro submitted tax returns to the IRS which falsely stated that he and his wife had already paid substantial amounts of payroll taxes and he fraudulently sought refunds totaling $126,826, some of which was paid by the IRS.

          Ferreyro is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter on June 24. As a result of today’s guilty verdicts, Ferreyro faces a statutory maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison.

          The investigation of Ferreyro was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The United States Trustee Program offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Phoenix provided substantial assistance.

          The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Monica E. Tait and Ashwin Janakiram of the Major Frauds Section.