Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Funds

St. Louis, MO – Omar Jaber, 31, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of government funds today in U.S. District Court.  Jaber appeared before U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry who accepted his plea and set his sentencing date for August 10, 2018. 

In his plea, Jaber admitted to stealing nearly $200,000 in tax refunds by using the name and other identifying information of forty-two different individual taxpayers without their knowledge or consent.  Jaber filed false tax returns in the names of the victims for the 2014 tax year and the 2015 tax year after obtaining their information from another tax preparation service.  During the crime, Jaber was working as an IRS-registered tax preparer.

Jaber faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment per count, a fine of up to $250,000 per count or both imprisonment and a fine.  In determining the actual sentence, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provides recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the IRS – Criminal Investigations Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.