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Tax preparer accused of 29 counts of criminal tax evasion

February 27, 2020

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the arrest of a man charged with multiple counts of criminal tax fraud. The man was a tax return professional who allegedly committed these crimes during the course of his business. The agency claims the man had a reputation for getting clients high refunds – refunds the agency states were based on illegal claims within the clients’ filings designed to get the taxpayers an illegally inflated refund.

More on the allegations: IRS claims ongoing, fraudulent tax scheme

The government has claimed the man is responsible for over $645,000 in illegal tax refunds. These refunds were allegedly the result of claiming false business expenses and inflated deductions for clients from 2014 through 2016.

According to the indictment, the accused faces 19 charges of assisting in or advising the preparation of false returns along with an additional ten charges of wire fraud.

What are the penalties for these types of crimes?

Each count of wire fraud can come with a ten-year prison sentence. Each count of assisting in or advising the preparation of false returns can come with up to three years imprisonment. As a result, the accused faces up to 90 years imprisonment.

In addition to prison time, the accused would likely face additional financial penalties and be unable to continue in his chosen profession.

These penalties are severe and, unfortunately, not uncommon. As a result, tax return preparers who are accused of similar crimes are wise to seek legal action to protect their interests.

Tax Crimes