Las Vegas Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty To Filing False Tax Returns

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas tax preparer pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns.

Maria Magdalena Mendoza (51) pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false income tax returns. U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware scheduled sentencing for May 18, 2023.

According to court documents, from at least 2007 to 2017, Mendoza worked as a tax preparer and owned tax preparation businesses “Taxes & More” and “Taxs y Mas.” She used false or inflated deductions and credits on tax returns filed on behalf of her clients. Additionally, she used her clients’ personal identifying information to falsely obtain a larger refund on her own tax returns. Mendoza prepared more than 700 tax returns that claimed more than $3 million in refunds from the IRS. She caused more than $1.2 million in tax loss.

The maximum statutory penalty is three years in prison per count, a term of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress for the IRS Criminal Investigation made the announcement.

The IRS CI and the Treasury Inspector General’s Office for Tax Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Schmale is prosecuting the case.

If you have information about an individual or a business you suspect of tax fraud, you can submit a report to the IRS at: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/how-do-you-report-suspected-tax-fraud-activity.

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