PHILADELPHIA, PA — An Allentown tax preparer pleaded guilty Tuesday, October 27, to federal charges stemming from approximately $1 million in fraudulent pandemic relief loans and a separate scheme involving tax returns filed with stolen personal information, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Mayerlyn Cordero, 48, entered guilty pleas to five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to file false claims before U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr.
Federal prosecutors said Cordero submitted approximately 13 fraudulent applications through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, resulting in about $1,009,050 in funded loans.
Both programs were established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, enacted in March 2020 to provide financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court filings and statements presented in connection with her plea, Cordero admitted submitting two fraudulent PPP applications for May Tax, a tax preparation business she operated.
The applications contained inflated employee counts and a false tax document. She also submitted an EIDL application that misrepresented the number of employees working for the business.
Prosecutors said Cordero was additionally responsible for fraudulent PPP applications submitted in the names of R&P Trucking and KS Transport.
The case also involved a separate tax fraud conspiracy in which Cordero filed 23 fraudulent tax returns using stolen personally identifiable information supplied by a co-conspirator.
According to prosecutors, Cordero knew the information supporting those returns was false.
A federal grand jury indicted Cordero in February 2026.
She is scheduled to be sentenced February 3, 2027.
Each of the five wire fraud counts carries a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The statutory maximum penalties do not necessarily reflect the sentence Cordero will receive, which will be determined by the court.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Allentown Resident Agency, IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Chandler Harris is prosecuting the case.
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