(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
 
 

Monroe, Louisiana . . .  VINCENT EASTERWOOD, age 34, and GWENDOLYN RIVERS, age 39, husband and wife from Marion, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Robert G. James to charges of conspiracy to file false claims with the Internal Revenue Service, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced today.  Sentencing for EASTERWOOD and RIVERS has been set for May 16, 2005.

EASTERWOOD, RIVERS, and a co-defendant were indicted in July 2004, and charged with conspiracy to file false claims and filing of false or fictitious federal income tax returns.  It was established at the hearings that between April and May 2002, while working at FastTax and ExpressTax, EASTERWOOD, RIVERS and their co-defendant, participated in a scheme wherein they created false W-2s which were in turn used to create false tax returns claiming refunds for individuals who were recruited by them.  This scheme allowed the taxpayers to receive higher refunds than the amount to which they would have been entitled.  The loss to the United States was approximately $39,081.

EASTERWOOD and RIVERS each face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.  Sentencing in federal court is determined by the discretion of federal judges and the governing statute.  United States Sentencing Guidelines established by the United States Congress and the United States Sentencing Commission are only used as guidelines by the judge in determining the appropriate sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha J. Levardsen.

For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W. Washington at 337-262-6618 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.

This and other press releases issued by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana can be found at our website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/law.

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