Utah Man Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City yesterday returned an indictment charging Dick Reid Jenkins, a resident of Heber City, Utah with eighteen counts of presenting false claims to the United States.

 According to the indictment, in September 2008, Dick Jenkins filed a false 2007 income tax return for himself which claimed an income tax refund of $402,920.  Then, in October 2008, Jenkins filed a false amended 2004 income tax return, which claimed an income tax refund of $434,261.  Both false claims were based on the use of false Form 1099-OID, Original Issue Discount.  In addition to his own false returns, from September 2008 through February 2009, Jenkins caused sixteen other false federal income tax returns to be filed on behalf of other individuals.  These other false tax returns also used false Form 1099-OID and claimed federal income tax refunds totaling $8,407,623.  The indictment further alleges that Dick Jenkins was licensed by the state of Utah as a Certified Public Accountant at all times relevant to these charges.

 An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  If convicted, Jenkins faces a maximum of 90 years in prison. 

 The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Stuart Wexler and Michael Romano.