LAWFUEL – Law News Network – Marko Mendoza, 56, a resident of Anah…

LAWFUEL – Law News Network – Marko Mendoza, 56, a resident of Anaheim, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. The plea follows an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles signed by Mendoza on March 20, 2006.

According to the plea agreement, Mendoza admitted to intentionally preparing 250 tax returns between January 2000 and August 2003 which he knew contained false information related to taxpayer wages, withholdings, deductions, and credits in order to fraudulently inflate the refund amounts. These returns, filed with the IRS, claimed a total loss of $712,037 from the US government.

Mendoza faces up to 37 months in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 16, 2006 before Unites States District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner.

Mendoza’s guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

Return preparer fraud is consistently listed by the IRS among the agency’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams which can be found at www.irs.gov, keyword search “dirty dozen.”

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