Carpentersville man admits to tax fraud

A Carpentersville man has admitted defrauding the IRS out of $7.2 million.

Ephrem F. Lijalem, 48, could face up to six years in prison and a fine of $500,000 at sentencing, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Lijalem pleaded guilty late last week.

Lijalem owned Cititax Tax Refund stores in Pittsburgh, which regularly falsified tax refunds for customers using fake businesses, inflated incomes and altered expenses, the news release said.

Lijalem's sentencing was set for May 31.