Tax Preparer Sentenced to a Year, Fined More Than $130,000

A Van Nuys tax preparer was sentenced Tuesday to a year in prison and ordered to pay more than $130,000 following her conviction on numerous counts of tax fraud.

U.S. District Judge William J. Rea sentenced Beverly Hollis, 47, who pleaded guilty in October to 11 counts of filing false claims and admitted that she used 15 aliases to open several mail drops and bank accounts to receive and deposit tax refund checks.

Hollis gathered tax information from her clients, which she used to prepare and submit tax returns, the U.S. attorney’s office said. She then filed tax returns that contained false information about businesses that her clients did not own and business income and deductions that did not apply. Clients did not see or sign the returns, prosecutors said.

Several times, Hollis prepared false tax returns using information about young children who purportedly owned and operated businesses, prosecutors said.

The Internal Revenue Service said it sent about $136,000 in tax refund checks to Hollis’ mail drops, which she later deposited into various bank accounts.