SILVER SPRING TAX PREPARER SENTENCED FOR mAKING A FALSE STATEMENT ON A TAX RETURN

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Alejandro A. Salas, age 65, of Silver Spring, Maryland today to 18 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for making a false statement on a tax return. Judge Titus also ordered Salas to pay $393,018 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Kelly of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

“IRS Criminal Investigation in partnership with the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland will continue to pursue individuals and businesses that do not pay all the taxes that are owed to the U.S. treasury,” said Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “Today’s sentencing of Mr. Salas should be a warning to others that IRS Criminal Investigation is focused on those that intentionally underreport taxable income, no matter what entity or individual they attempt to hide behind.”

According to his plea agreement, from 2004 to 2008, Salas ran G&S Enterprises of Maryland, a tax return preparation business in Silver Spring that also offered translation services, travel agency services, accounting and bookkeeping services for local companies; facilitated international money transfers; and brokered mortgage loans. In 2009, after learning that he was the target of a criminal investigation, Salas moved the location of his business and began preparing tax returns for clients under the corporate name TAX USA, which he incorporated under the name of another individual.

Between 2004 and 2009, Salas’ business prepared over 15,700 tax returns for clients.

Salas admitted that for tax years 2003 through 2005, he underreported the income from his tax preparation business on his individual income tax returns; and underreported the income from the business on the corporate tax return he filed for the 2006 tax year. For example, on his 2005 income tax return Salas listed the gross income from his sole proprietorship as $295,537, when in fact, the gross income from his business substantially exceeded that amount. For tax years 2007 through 2009, Salas failed to file either corporate or individual tax returns.

The total tax loss to the government as a result of Salas’ actions is $393,018.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the IRS-CI for its work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sujit Raman, who prosecuted the case.