CLARK COUNTY, Ind.–A man and woman were arrested Monday for their involvement in what police call corrupt business practices and failing to pay taxes while operating businesses in Clarksville.

Going back to 2023, State Police say they learned that 50-year-old Jony Zavala and his wife, 40-year-old Maria Bonilla, registered 29 limited liability corporations (LLCs) over the last several years for what appeared to be fake businesses.

Investigators say over the course of roughly two years, they discovered that both Zavalla and Bonilla created the LLCs in order for people not legally allowed to register their vehicles to buy and register their vehicles through the State of Indiana.

They had at least nine LLCs that they were the principal members of, but the police say neither Zavala nor Bonilla filed personal or business tax returns. Both of them were told produce records of their businesses to the Indiana Department of Revenue, but the department says that didn’t happen until June 2024.

During that time, the department says Bonilla and Zavala provided tax returns for the years 2019 through 2023, but they were filed for only two of the nine LLCs that Zavala and Bonilla own while the other seven were undocumented.

Zavalla and Bonilla were arrested on warrants of racketeering, theft, and tax evasion. All of those are felonies. They were both taken to the Clark County Jail.

1. Jony O. Zavala mugshot

Source:Indiana State Police

2. Maria Bonilla Mugshot

Source:Indiana State Police