A federal court in Florida has permanently barred Miami-area tax return preparer Aniel Saint-Hilaire from the tax-preparation business and ordered him to give up $571,739.47 in fees.
The injunction, entered by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, prohibits Saint-Hilaire from preparing returns, advising others on return preparation, investing in or receiving fees from a tax-preparation business, and working for or consulting with one.
The district judge adopted a magistrate judge’s report finding that Saint-Hilaire used other preparers’ identification numbers and submitted returns that understated customers’ tax liabilities. The findings covered fictitious unreimbursed employee expenses, fuel-tax credits, residential clean-energy credits and health-savings-account deductions.
The court found that 59% of the returns Saint-Hilaire prepared contained the fictitious items. It used that proportion of his net preparation fees to calculate disgorgement. The order is a final permanent injunction, not an interim restriction.
The Justice Department announced the order on 28 October 2026. Its account of the case and the injunction is available in the official release.
