LOCAL TAX RETURN PREPARER PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSIFYING RETURNS

(HOUSTON) – Veronica Bellamy, a local tax return preparer, has pleaded guilty to charges that she prepared false tax returns for local clients that inflated their refunds by approximately $538,000 during 2002 through 2005, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Bellamy faces up to three years in prison and $250,000 fine at sentencing on April 9, 2010.
 
Bellamy appeared for a re-arraignment hearing today before United States District Judge Gray H. Miller. She stipulated that in an effort to build a reputation for generating large federal income tax refunds for her clients, she knowingly prepared, caused to be prepared and filed a number of false federal income tax returns that generated excessive refunds for clients  for tax years 2002 through 2005. These returns were based upon false and fraudulently inflated deductions and credits taken without the assent of the clients that were intended by Bellamy to cause, and did cause, aggregate losses to the United States Treasury of approximately $538,000. Bellamy did business under the name Tax Business and Planning.

Specifically, Bellamy stipulated that on March 21, 2006, she knowingly prepared and caused to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a false 2005 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return – Form 1040 which included materially false deductions and credits without the assent of the client in an effort to obtain an excessive federal income tax refund for a client. Bellamy listed materially false Schedule A deductions for real estate taxes of $6,030, personal property taxes of $5,539, home mortgage interest of $11,393 and charitable gifts of $7,739 - totaling approximately $30,701 - in order to materially reduce taxable income and seek a fraudulent refund for a client in the approximate amount of $3,728. Bellamy electronically filed the client tax return with the IRS. 

The investigation leading to the charges against Bellamy was conducted by the Houston Office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Sledge.

 

 

# # #