Hazleton Tax Preparer Sentenced To 24 Months’ Imprisonment For Preparing & Filing Hundreds Of False Tax Returns Claiming Over $800,000.00 Of False Education Credits

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Leidi M. Paulino, age 46, owner of LP Multiservices, a tax preparation business located in Freeland, PA, was sentenced on January 19, 2024, by United States District Judge Julia K. Munley, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release, for the offense of aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in unearned education credits.  

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, over the course of 2019 and 2020, Paulino assisted hundreds of clients in preparing and filing false tax returns that were materially false in that they sought on the clients' behalf certain education tax credits, including the American opportunity tax credit, to which the clients were not entitled.  Indeed, the vast majority of Paulino's clients were not enrolled in college at all.  Paulino’s conduct resulted in hundreds of thousand dollars of loss to the government

At her sentencing, Paulino was ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $888,377.00.

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.

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