HOUSTON - Miranda Gore has entered a plea of guilty to one count of willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Lucy Cruz, special agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

According to the plea agreement entered in the record of the case, Gore admitted that on the income tax return in question, she willfully claimed a false loss from an alleged interior design business that the taxpayer never had. Gore also admitted she willfully placed on the return a false claim for a First Time Homebuyer’s Credit that the taxpayer was not entitled to claim. Gore admitted that the tax loss to the United States on the false return was $9,352.

Gore further acknowledged she gave the taxpayer client a purported copy of the tax return she prepared differing from the return Gore electronically filed for the taxpayer with the IRS. The return filed with the IRS claimed a tax refund of $9,554, whereas the one given the taxpayer claimed a tax refund of only $2,054. Gore admitted she arranged for the tax refund claimed from the IRS to be put on a cash card. Gore then gave the taxpayer a check for $4,180 for the refund and kept the remainder of the funds on the cash card for herself.

Gore further agreed in the plea agreement that the relevant conduct for purposes of sentencing in this case is $280,150, which includes the tax loss on the false income tax returns she prepared and the tax loss to the United States on her own 2008 and 2009 U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns. Gore agreed to pay restitution to the United States of $280,150.

U.S. District Court Judge Keith Ellison, who accepted the plea a short time ago, has set sentencing for Jan. 15, 2013. At that time, Gore faces up to three years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

This matter was investigated by IRS-CI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Escher.