Former Washington, D.C., Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Three Years for Preparing False Returns

WASHINGTON – Onuoha “Iggy” Nwokoro was sentenced today in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return for 2004, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.  U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon sentenced Nwokoro to 36 months in prison and ordered him to pay $510,389 in restitution to the IRS.

On Aug. 30, 2011, Nwokoro pleaded guilty to willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return for 2004.  According to court documents, from January 2005 through April 2007, Nwokoro operated BBC Tax Services, also known as BBC Tax and Medical Billing Services, a tax preparation business in Washington. For tax years 2004, 2005 and 2006, Nwokoro prepared and electronically filed tax returns for his clients that included fictitious business income and expenses for what purported to be a computer systems business. Nwokoro admitted to preparing at least 41 false returns, causing a tax loss of more than $530,000.   According to the plea agreement, Nwokoro also admitted that his own 2004, 2005 and 2006 personal tax returns were false in that they under-reported his income by $585,537.

The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Jorge Almonte and Jeffrey B. Bender.

Additional information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division and its enforcement efforts is available at www.usdoj.gov/tax .