Fairfield Tax Preparer Indicted for False Tax Returns

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 28-count indictment today against Myrna Kawakami, 66, of Fairfield, charging her with assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and filing her own false tax returns, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, Kawakami ran a tax preparation business in Fairfield called K.I.M. Tax Book Services where she assisted taxpayers in preparing fraudulent federal income tax returns. The returns claimed thousands of dollars in itemized deductions based on ineligible expenses, resulting in fraudulent tax refunds. Kawakami also submitted fraudulent tax returns on her own behalf, significantly underreporting the income from her tax business and claiming education credits based on ineligible expenses. 2:19-cr-067 TLN

On January 24, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against El Dorado Hills couple Brian Beland, 35, and Denae Beland, 35, charging them with obstructing an IRS investigation. Brian Beland was also charged with filing false tax returns. According to court documents, Brian Beland filed tax returns in 2011, 2012, and 2013, in which he reported false business expenses. Following the initiation of an audit in 2014, Brian and Denae Beland made false statements to IRS revenue agents and provided revenue agents with spreadsheets containing false business expenses in an attempt to obstruct and impede the audit.
2:19-cr-021 WBS

These cases are the product of investigations by the IRS Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick is prosecuting U.S. v. Kawakami. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy S. Hitchcock is prosecuting U.S. v. Beland. If convicted, Kawakami faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine. If convicted, Brian Beland faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine. If convicted, Denae Beland faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.