Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Wichita Tax Return Preparer

Defendant Allegedly Prepares Fraudulent Tax Returns in Order to Understate Customers’ Tax Liabilities or Overstate Their Refunds

2018-02-06

A tax return preparer in the Wichita, Kansas, area prepares fraudulent tax returns for her customers, according to a new civil lawsuit filed by the Justice Department on February 6. The suit, filed in federal court in Wichita, Kansas, asks the court to permanently bar Ma Guadalupe Valenzuela (a/k/a Maria Guadalupe Valenzuela a/k/a Lupe Valenzuela, individually and doing business as Servicio de Income Tax) from preparing federal tax returns for others. The government also asks the court to order Valenzuela to turn over the names of customers for whom she has prepared federal tax returns since 2012.

The complaint alleges that the defendant unlawfully understates her customers’ income tax liabilities and overstates these customers’ refunds. According to the complaint, Valenzuela unlawfully prepares federal tax returns that lowers her customers’ federal tax liabilities by claiming bogus child tax credits, improper dependency exemptions, and false filing statuses.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice