FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
May 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADELPHI TAX PREPARER SENTENCED TO OVER 2 ½ YEARS IN PRISON FOR FRAUDULENTLY CLAIMING FUEL TAX REFUNDS
Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Cynthia Poakwa, also known as Cynthia Barbour, age 60, of Silver Spring, Maryland, today to 33 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for assisting in the filing of false tax returns, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
”While most tax return preparers provide excellent service to their clients, a few unscrupulous tax preparers file false tax returns to defraud the government, the tax paying public and their own clients,” stated C. Andre' Martin, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. "Everyone who files a tax return should take full advantage of all deductions and credits provided by law; however, no one is entitled to an undeserved windfall.”
According to the plea agreement, Poakwa owned Elite Tax Consultants, Inc., located on Riggs Road in Adelphi, Maryland, which provided tax-related services. From at least 1999 to 2004, Poakwa prepared false tax returns for four trucking companies by fraudulently claiming $194,245 in fuel tax credits, which she knew the companies were not qualified to receive.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation for its investigative work and commended Assistant United States Attorney Bryan E. Foreman, who prosecuted the case.