East Lyme Biz Owner Guilty Of Lying On Tax Returns: Feds

EAST LYME — The owner of Mountzoures Cleaning, who federal prosecutors accused of underreporting her business’ income for years, has pleaded guilty to a tax offense.

Analia Mountzoures, 48, entered the guilty plea Wednesday to aiding and assisting a false tax return in a proceeding before U.S. District Court Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport.

Mountzoures faces up to three years in prison at her sentencing, currently scheduled for July 22. Mountzoures has to pay the Internal Revenue Service restitution of $380,167.

Her business, Mountzoures Cleaning, employs about 10 workers, and it has provided cleaning services to more than 200 commercial and residential clients in southeastern Connecticut, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“During the 2018 through 2023 tax years, Mountzoures often paid her employees in cash, did not report their wages to the state or federal government, did not file required IRS forms related to her employees, did not issue W-2 forms, did not withhold employee taxes as required, and did not pay federal employment taxes and withholding,” prosecutors said, in a news release.

Mountzoures also provided false information to her tax return preparer, which resulted in returns which “significantly underreported” her business’ income and how much she owed in taxes, according to the government.

For example, Mountzoures’ 2023 tax return reported gross receipts of $12,095 and total taxes before credits as $1,450. Her gross receipts that year actually were around $628,072 and the tax due was $96,650, prosecutors said.