Jacksonville Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Fuada Delic (32, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. As part of the plea, Delic has agreed to make full restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for the tax loss arising from the 43 counts charged against her in the original indictment.

Delic was indicted on December 19, 2013.

According to the plea agreement, Delic was the owner, operator, and sole tax preparer at Delica’s Tax Service, a company which offered tax return preparation services. On February 6, 2009, she prepared a Form 1040 on which she represented that the taxpayer had made charitable contributions in the total amount of $14,220. She also represented that the taxpayer had incurred $1,820 in education expenses for which he was entitled to an education credit of $1,510. When Delic prepared the return, she knew that the taxpayer had not made the claimed charitable contributions or incurred the claimed education expenses. Delic submitted the return to the IRS, which issued a refund in the amount of $3,323. Without the false statements, the taxpayer would have been entitled to a refund of $808. Delic was an experienced tax return preparer and knew that making such false statements on a return was against the law.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.