Green Bay Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to 21 Months of Imprisonment for Tax Fraud

Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 1, 2019, Catalina Taboada (age 47), of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was sentenced in federal court to 21 months of imprisonment for willfully preparing false income tax returns in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(2).  Taboada agreed to pay $571,800 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

In 2009, Taboada started her own tax preparation business in Green Bay, Wisconsin, called Taboada & Associates.  According to the plea agreement, Taboada committed fraud at her business in several ways.  She fraudulently claimed child tax credits for clients whose children lived exclusively in Mexico.  She also claimed child tax credits for clients’ nieces, nephews, cousins or other distant relatives.  Taboada additionally claimed dependent exemptions for children who were not residents of the United States, Mexico or Canada.  Taboada admitted to understanding the qualifying rules for child tax credits and exemptions, but nevertheless said that she made the fraudulent claims to “stimulate the economy.”

“The honest women and men who pay their hard-earned money in taxes deserve to know that unscrupulous people who cheat on their taxes will be investigated, prosecuted, and incarcerated,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger.  “Together with the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Department of Justice will continue to prosecute tax fraud aggressively.”    

Gabriel Grchan, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge said, “This sentencing demonstrates the commitment that IRS Criminal Investigation has in ferreting out fraudulent tax return preparers who play by their own rules and use a variety of methods to cheat the system.  It is important for taxpayers to know that fraudulent tax preparers will be brought to justice.”

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keith S. Alexander.

# # # #