Press Release
Loomis Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Prison for Tax Refund Fraud Scheme
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aleksandr Kuzmenko, 33, of Loomis, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to two years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $573,332 in restitution to the IRS for conspiracy to defraud the United States, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Kuzmenko worked as a tax preparer at VK Tax Services in Citrus Heights in 2009. Between February 2009 and November 2009, Kuzmenko conspired with others to file approximately 90 fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. The tax returns fraudulently claimed the First-Time Homebuyer Credit, which was worth as much as $7,500. The refunds for the fraudulent claims were electronically deposited into various bank accounts controlled by Kuzmenko’s co-defendants. The fraudulent claims totaled approximately $695,724, of which the IRS paid approximately $573,000.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michele Beckwith prosecuted the case.
Co-defendants Peter Kuzmenko and Valeriy Nikitchuk have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and they are currently scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2016. Co-defendant Arsen Muhtarov has entered a plea of not guilty. The charges against him are only allegations, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Updated October 28, 2016
Topic
Tax
Component