Guy A. Lewis, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jose I. Marrero, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, announced today that Irwin Millstein, an accountant and tax preparer, pled guilty on September 6, 2001, to an Information charging five felony counts of tax fraud. The first count of the Information charged Millstein with falsifying his personal return. The remaining four counts charged Millstein with preparing falsified tax returns on behalf of clients from his former accounting business, ABM Financial Services, Inc., formerly known as ABM Tax & Accounting, Inc. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16, 2001, at 11:00 a.m., before United States District Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr.

The Information charged that Millstein fraudulently attempted to avoid over $3 million of income on behalf of himself and his clients, with a tax loss to the United States Treasury of $1,276,395. Millstein faces a maximum punishment of three years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for each count, plus restitution to the government.