New York Tax Preparer Indicted for Filing Fraudulent Tax Returns

The owner of Brooklyn, New York return preparation businesses was indicted on April 14 and arrested today on 18 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the indictment unsealed today, Maria Munoz, owned and operated tax preparation businesses in Brooklyn including Munoz Multiservices Corp., Munoz Multiservices Inc. and United Tax Service. The indictment alleges that Munoz prepared fraudulent returns for clients that reported fictitious or inflated deductions for charitable donations, unreimbursed employee expenses, personal property taxes and other expenses. Munoz also fabricated education expenses in order to fraudulently claim education credits for her clients and cause the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to pay them bogus or inflated refunds.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, Munoz faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison on each count, a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Carl F. Brooker of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.