Apr.01 2010, 12:13 PM

Three Renton men were among eight people convicted recently in a federal court in Florida of tax, wire-fraud and money-laundering charges, according to a press release from two federal agencies.

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service describe the eight as promoters of fraudulent tax and credit-card, debt-elimination schemes. The defendants, who were indicted in September 2008, operated through Pinnacle Quest International, also known as PQI and Quest International, according to the press release.

The three from Renton are:

• Arnold Ray Manansala and Dover Eugene Perry were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

• Arthur Ramirez Merino was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit wire fraud.

The other defendants were from Oregon and the East Coast.

According to the evidence presented during trial, PQI was an umbrella organization for numerous vendors of tax and credit-card debt elimination scams, according to the press release.

During the trial, according to the press release, the government established that Financial Solutions, owned and operated by Merino, was the most successful PQI vendor at selling fraudulent schemes to eliminate credit-card debt.

Financial Solutions charged its customers thousands of dollars for a series of letters to send to credit-card companies, disputing the lawfulness of the underlying debt, according to the press release.

The product was ineffective, according to the press release, and customers typically were sued by their creditors and often forced into bankruptcy.

As established at trial by the government, Perry, Manansala and Merino were members of the executive council of PQI, selecting vendors, guiding the day-to-day operations of the company, planning offshore conferences, and fielding customers complaints, according to the press release.

A sentencing is scheduled for July 6. Manansala and Perry could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum fine of $750,000. Merino faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Two defendants from Florida face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.

“Today’s convictions send a powerful and unequivocal message to those who seek to evade and help others evade their taxes,” said acting Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, in the press release. “Those who promote tax fraud schemes will be investigated, prosecuted and convicted, and they also face substantial prison sentences.”