LAWFUEL – MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT M. QUINONES
was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for preparing false
income tax returns. United States District Judge DENISE L. COTE
imposed the sentence in Manhattan federal court.
QUINONES pleaded guilty on December 21, 2007, to
twenty-five counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of
false tax returns and two counts of filing false claims for
refund. The charges against QUINONES arose principally out of
his preparation of false income tax returns for clients of a tax
preparation business he operated in the Bronx, New York.
According to the Indictment filed in this case and statements
made in court:
From 2001 through 2005, QUINONES included false items
on tax returns he prepared for the clients of his tax preparation
business, including non-existent medical expenses, unreimbursed
business expenses, and gifts to charity. QUINONES’ inclusion of
false deductions on over 200 income tax returns caused the
Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) losses of approximately
$450,000. QUINONES also admitted that he caused the filing of
false claims for refunds in connection with two of his own
individual income tax returns. These false claims caused QUINONES
to receive refunds to which he was not entitled, in the aggregate
amount of approximately $20,000.
In sentencing QUINONES, Judge COTE stated that a prison
sentence was appropriate due to the, “long-term, large-scale,
substantial fraud.” In addition to the prison term, Judge COTE
sentenced QUINONES to three years of supervised release, and
ordered him to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of
$27,107.
Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the IRS,
Criminal Investigation Division in this case.
This case was prosecuted by the Office’s Major Crimes
Unit. Special Assistant United States Attorney MICHAEL BEN’ARY
is in charge of the prosecution.
08-101 ###
