DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A Broward County accountant already accused of scamming dozens of tax clients over two months ago is now facing new fraud and theft charges, this time involving a Dania Beach restaurant.
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Deputies with the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Jose Coss, 56, of Deerfield Beach, stole nearly $8,000 from Cuciana Dania Beach by depositing fraudulent checks into his personal bank account and laundering the funds.
The investigation began around March 18 when an employee at the restaurant, located at 17 S. Pointe Drive, discovered “discrepancies” during an internal audit, according to an arrest report.
The employee reported that multiple checks had been fraudulently issued and cashed. Two of the checks, totaling $992.58 and $993, were deposited using a Miami address, the report stated.
On March 25, First Horizon Bank — which the restaurant uses — confirmed that the checks had been deposited into an account at Bank of America belonging to Coss, authorities said.
Detectives said Coss used that account to cover recurring monthly charges, including payments to a Texas-based storage company and a Comcast account linked to “Coss Bookkeeping,” a business registered in his name.
They said Coss remotely deposited the fraudulent checks and then used Zelle to transfer the funds to other accounts he controls or to individuals connected to him.
Deputies said the restaurant reported a loss of $7,995 in total.
Jail records show Coss was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of grand theft between $5,000 and $10,000, money laundering involving amounts between $300 and $20,000, and fraud for obtaining property under $20,000.
He is no stranger to fraud allegations.
As reported by Local 10 News, Coss was previously arrested in Wilton Manors for allegedly scamming more than 20 of his bookkeeping clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Wilton Manors police said Coss ran Coss Bookkeeping and Accounting, where he altered tax documents to generate refunds without his clients’ knowledge.
In one case, a victim discovered Coss had opened an American Express business card in his name and racked up nearly $100,000 in unpaid charges.
“They would come into his office to get their taxes done. He would say, ‘You don’t owe anything, you aren’t getting a refund but you don’t owe anything,’” Wilton Manors Detective Bonnie Owens told Local 10 News back in April. “He would change the tax documents to get a refund.”
Court records show similar behavior, including crossing out “IRS” on checks and replacing it with “Coss Bookkeeping and Accounting.” Owens said there were 22 confirmed victims and potentially more than 10 others.
As both criminal cases unfold, authorities say they continue to investigate and encourage possible victims to come forward.
Anyone with information is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
