Virginia Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Just Over 12 Months for Evading Her Own Taxes

A Richmond, Virginia, tax return preparer was sentenced yesterday to one year and a day in prison for evading her own taxes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Willette J. Holland owned Tax Professionals, a return preparation firm located in Richmond, Virginia. In August 2014, the IRS contacted Holland because she had not filed personal tax returns for the years 2010 through 2013. Holland then presented false returns to an IRS Revenue Agent for those years, which substantially underreported her gross receipts and taxes due. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, Holland again did not file tax returns despite being required to do so by law. To further conceal her earnings from the IRS, in 2014, Holland deposited almost all of her tax preparation business’s gross receipts into a bank account held in the name of a nominee. In all, Holland caused the IRS to suffer a tax loss of approximately $177,000.

In addition to the term of imprisonment U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne ordered Holland to serve three years of supervised release. 

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Francine Davis and Assistant Chief Michael Boteler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Cooke for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.