PUEBLO, Colo.-
A state mental hospital patient was jailed Saturday on suspicion he profited from filing phony tax returns.
Horacio Caraveo, 35, was one of several people indicted by a Pueblo County grand jury in the alleged scheme, District Attorney Bill Thiebaut told the Pueblo Chieftain.
He said he would be able to say more about the case Monday.
Caraveo and his accomplices were suspected of earning as much as $25,000 a month by filing fake tax returns claiming Earned Income Tax Credits for which the filers did not qualify, Thiebaut said.
The suspects arranged to have checks sent to people outside the hospital, and the checks were cashed, Thiebaut said.
The suspects were being prosecuted under organized-crime laws, Thiebaut said.
He said more arrests were likely.
The victims were patients and others associated with the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, Thiebaut said.
Caraveo was detained at the county jail on a hold for the mental hospital, meaning he won’t be released to the public even if his $50,000 bail is posted.
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Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
