TARZANA : Tax Preparer Gets 12 Years for Fraud
A 42-year-old Tarzana man was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years probation after being convicted of five counts of felony tax fraud, authorities said Tuesday.
Howard S. Howard, who operated a tax preparation business in Tarzana, prepared a false tax return for himself and filed false returns on behalf of unsuspecting clients from 1985 to 1986, Assistant U.S. Atty. Chris Painter said. Howard used the returns to create bogus tax shelters, but many of his clients thought they were legitimate, Painter said.
Howard, who was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court, pleaded guilty to the five counts of tax fraud in March, Painter said. He estimated that Howard’s activities cost the government millions of dollars.
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