Barrington Tax Return Preparer Charged with Falsifying Clients’ Tax Returns

A federal grand jury in Chicago returned an indictment on Feb. 16, charging an Illinois man with assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.

According to the indictment, from 2016 to 2018, Gary Sandiego of Barrington owned a tax return preparation business, G. Sandiego and Associates, and prepared and filed false returns for his clients. The false returns allegedly reported fictitious or inflated unreimbursed employment-related expenses and false residential energy credits, which resulted in a significant reduction of Sandiego’s clients’ total tax liability.

Sandiego will appear for his initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Andrew Kameros and Trial Attorney Sara Henderson of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.