Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty in Refund Fraud
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The owner of a Van Nuys tax preparation firm pleaded guilty to filing returns in the names of fictitious people seeking more than $322,000 in refunds, the U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday.
Carlos Alvarez, 41, owner of A&B; Professional Services, submitted bogus W-2 forms to the Internal Revenue Service purporting to show that the nonexistent taxpayers had substantial amounts of money withheld from winnings at Southern California race tracks, along with large losses.
The refunds sought ranged from $25,000 to $70,000 per taxpayer.
