Las Vegas, Nev. – A man who owned and operated a tax preparation business in Las Vegas pleaded guilty today to preparing false and fraudulent tax returns for clients, causing a tax loss to the IRS of over $200,000, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Rafael A. Aguirre, 45, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing the administration of Internal Revenue Service laws, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. by Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George. The maximum penalties are three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the plea memorandum, as early as 2006, the defendant owned and operated Aguirre & Navarrette Corporation, which did business as Aguirre Tax Services ("ATS") in Las Vegas. Aguirre worked as a tax preparer at ATS and employed several other persons as tax preparers. Aguirre and his employees, who were acting at his direction, knowingly prepared fraudulent returns that significantly overstated various deductions, such as sales tax, mortgage interest, business expenses, charitable contributions, and gambling losses. As a result of the fraudulent and manufactured returns, Aguirre's clients received tax refunds to which they were not otherwise entitled. In many instances, the clients would have owed additional taxes had their returns been accurately prepared. The defendant and his employees prepared about 65 fraudulent returns resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of at least $209,657.

The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn C. Newman.

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