The 35-year old man ran a tax preparation service called Roddy Solutions. In his advertising materials to the public, he would refer to himself as the “Tax Beast,” emphasizing his knowledge of the tax law and his ability to maximize income tax returns. He obtained tax documents from clients and prepared false tax returns in which he claimed false tax credits or included false business expenses on the returns to increase the tax returns clients received or minimize tax liability.
After an IRS criminal tax investigation, the man was indicted in July 2016. The IRS criminal investigation was led by a special agent in charge out of the Cincinnati office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette Bacon prosecuted the case, securing the sentence of 42 months and restitution totaling nearly $900,000.
While the IRS does not consider it criminal to try to validly reduce tax liability or to make a mistake when preparing a tax return. Fraud depends on your intent to misrepresent, conceal or alter facts in an attempt to deceive the IRS. Some behaviors that may result in criminal tax charges include:
If you have engaged in any of the conduct described above, you may face significant consequences, such as an IRS tax audit, years of imprisonment, hefty fines and restitution payments.
For criminal tax defense, contact the experienced attorneys at Robert J. Fedor Esq., LLC. An experienced IRS tax lawyer from our firm can assist you with charges involving fraudulent tax returns, false statements or other criminal tax matters. We can assess your situation and determine the options available to you while crafting a customized legal strategy to protect your rights and freedom.