Dentist hid money in mom’s accounts to avoid paying $900,000 in taxes in Florida, feds say
A dentist avoided paying nearly $900,000 in taxes by hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars in his mother’s bank accounts, federal prosecutors said.
Frantz Brignol, a dentist in Altamonte Springs, Florida, didn’t pay the taxes owed to the IRS between 2014 and 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
He also didn’t file a tax return in 2020, when he earned a yearly income of over $200,000 prosecutors said.
Brignol pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and one count of failing to file a tax return, the attorney’s office announced in an April 5 news release.
Public defender Christine Bird, who is representing Brignol, declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 6.
Brignol, who calls his dental clinic “Your Gentle Dentist” according to his LinkedIn profile, hid money in three of his mother’s bank accounts after withdrawing the cash from his business bank accounts, according to an indictment.
He had signature authority over two of his mother’s accounts — meaning he had control over them, the indictment says.
In addition to hiding money in his mother’s accounts, Brignol also traded some of the money overseas, prosecutors said.
He’s facing up to six years in federal prison, according to the release.
A sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled, prosecutors said.
The IRS’ Criminal Investigation agency is investigating the case against Brignol.
Altamonte Springs is about 10 miles north of Orlando.
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