In February, 2023, Master Trooper Detective Tim Denby began an investigation based on a complaint filed against an individual residing in Clarksville who was allegedly creating Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) in order for individuals not legally allowed to register their vehicles to buy, register, and title vehicles through the state of Indiana.
The complainant alleged that 50-year-old Jony Zavala was charging individuals money to set up and provide the vehicle registrations. It was learned through the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office that Zavala had registered 29 LLCs over the last several years for what had appeared to be fake businesses.
As the investigation progressed, Detective Denby began working with investigators with the Indiana Department of Revenue in October, 2023. Investigators learned that Zavala and his wife, 40-year-old Maria Bonilla, were the organizers of at least nine LLCs within Indiana that they were principal members of.
It was alleged that through the course of their proprietorship of those businesses, neither Zavala nor Bonilla had filed personal or business tax returns, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police Sellersburg District.
Search warrants were served at the residence of Zavala and Bonilla by State Police detectives and investigators with the Department of Revenue in May, 2024. Investigators were learning that business records were not being maintained for any of the nine LLCs that Zavala and Bonilla owned.
At the same time, Department of Revenue investigators served Zavala and Bonilla with notices to produce business records for their businesses. Zavala and Bonilla failed to provide those records to the Department of Revenue.
In June, 2024, the Department of Revenue was provided with tax returns filed on behalf of Zavala and Bonilla for the years 2019 through 2023 that were filed after the search warrant was executed in May, 2024.
The tax returns were filed for only two of the nine LLCs that Zavala and Bonilla own; the business records for the other seven LLCs remained undocumented.
Additionally, it was learned that Zavala and Bonilla did not provide all bank statements when preparing business records and tax returns for the two LLCs they filed for, thus failing to declare all of their income.
On Monday, Zavala and Bonilla were arrested on warrants issued through the Clark County Circuit Court for charges including Racketeering, Theft, and Tax Evasion. They were lodged in the Clark County Jail.
Zavala was charged with corrupt business enterprise (racketeering), a Level 5 felony, three counts of theft, a Level 6 felony and eight counts of tax evasion, a Level 6 felony.
Bonilla was charged with racketeering, a Level 5 felony, three counts of theft, a Level 6 felony and four counts of tax evasion, a Level 6 felony.
The Indiana State Police continues will continue to investigate complaints involving individuals making money outside the tax and regulatory system by not reporting their tax obligations. The State Police and the Department of Revenue encourage all Indiana residents to register and operate their businesses lawfully.
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