Law Enforcement | WPN World People News

On Oct. 16, a federal court in Houston, Texas, permanently enjoined Felisha Gibson and Ms. Lesa’s Tax Service LLC from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced on October 17. Gibson agreed to a civil injunction order entered against her that requires her and Ms. Lesa’s Tax Service LLC to cease preparing tax returns for others. The injunction also requires Gibson to produce a list of her customers to the United States.

A federal jury sitting in Miami, Florida, convicted a resident of Pompano Beach, Florida, of filing fraudulent tax returns, wire fraud and filing false monthly reports with the U.S. Probation Office, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida.

A Maryland man who bought, improved and sold residential real estate was sentenced to 36 months in prison announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Schenning for the District of Maryland.

A partial owner of several Florida-based energy companies, on October 11, pleaded guilty to foreign bribery charges for his role in a scheme to corruptly secure contracts from Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).

A congressional staffer was charged with filing a false security clearance form, on October 11, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

An Antioch, Tennessee, on October 10, woman was convicted by a federal jury sitting in Nashville, Tennessee, of eight counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Donald Q. Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.

The middleman in a foreign bribery scheme who falsely held himself out as an agent of a foreign official was sentenced to 42 months in prison for each count, on October 5, to run concurrently, for his role in a scheme to bribe a foreign official in the Middle East to land a real estate deal, and to defrauding his co-schemers.

A resident of Indiana, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of embezzling from a federally insured bank, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced on October 5.

A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Michigan returned an indictment charging the owner of a tax return preparation business with 26 counts of preparing fraudulent tax returns, on October 4, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

A priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose was sentenced to 36 months in prison, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch for the Northern District of California.