Maine Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Sean O’Hare, age 54, of South Portland, Maine, pled guilty today to committing wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud his tax preparation clients.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

O’Hare, a former tax preparer and accountant, admitted that he defrauded his clients trusted him to prepare their tax filings and pay their taxes.  From September 2015 through September 2016, O’Hare filed quarterly tax returns with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance on behalf of three companies; these returns understated the amount of taxes owed by the companies. O’Hare collected the full amount of taxes owed from the companies and stole the difference between the amount in taxes remitted to New York State and the amount he received from the companies. O’Hare admitted to fraudulently obtaining $131,758, which he has agreed to repay as restitution.

O’Hare’s wire fraud conviction carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. O’Hare is scheduled to be sentenced on January 11, 2023, by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by USPIS, with assistance from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping.