El Paso Income Tax Return Preparer Indicted by Federal Grand Jury

In El Paso, Gabriela Chavez Garcia, owner and operator of G & A Tax Service, is charged with 38 counts of aiding and abetting the preparation of a false income tax return, announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge William Cotter.

A federal grand jury indictment, unsealed this afternoon, alleges that from March 2011 to April 2013, Garcia prepared and filed fraudulent federal Income Tax Returns.  The indictment further alleges that the fraudulent returns, submitted on behalf of 20 individuals, contained fraudulent claims and figures, including Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, certain business expenses, certain unreimbursed job expenses and other miscellaneous deductions  to which the taxpayers were not entitled.

IRS-CI agents arrested Garcia yesterday.  Garcia was released on a $20,000 bond at her initial appearance today in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Castaneda. 

Upon conviction, each charge calls for up to three years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by special agents with the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Nikhil Bhagat is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt.  The defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.