The three worked for Miami Gardens-based Cherfils Enterprises whose owner, Nixon Cyrus Cherfils, was sentenced to prison for four years and ordered to pay the almost $3.5 million. 

The other two were Kerline Pierre, who was sentenced to 28 month in prison, and Jonas Augustin, who drew eight months in prison and nine months house arrest. All three were sentenced for conspiracy to file false tax returns. 

Cherfils and Pierre also were convicted of wire fraud for applying for and fraudulently obtaining several loans under the CARES Act.  Cherfis was ordered to pay $380,232 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration.  Pierre is to repay  $319,952.

The two submitted phony tax returns and information in support of their loan applications, even though they did not file tax returns during the years claimed.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind