Press Releases
TAX PREPARER PLEADS GUILTY TO PREPARING FALSE RETURNS
May 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANTHONY J. BATISTE, 44, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court today before U. S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false and fraudulent tax return, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to documents filed in federal court, BATISTE admitted that, for a fee, he assisted a customer of the A. J.’s Tax Service in preparing false and fraudulent Federal Income Tax Returns, by providing the customer with a name and social security number which the customer would then use to claim dependant exemptions to which the customer was not entitled. BATISTE then filed the fraudulent return for the customer.
BATISTE faces a maximum penalty of three (3) years, followed by a term of supervised release up to one (1) year, and a $100,000.00 fine. Sentencing in this matter is set for
September 2, 2009 before U. S. District Judge May Ann Vial Lemmon.
The investigation was handled by Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division.
The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
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