Tucson tax preparer guilty of falsifying returns for clients
Tucson tax preparer guilty of falsifying returns for clients.
A Tucson tax preparer was found guilty of preparing false federal income tax returns for her clients without their knowledge.
Darlene Musgrove, 68, was convicted on 22 counts.
At trial, 12 of Musgrove's clients testified that they did not have the deductions she included on their tax returns and were not aware of the false deductions.
They also testified that the refunds they received when Musgrove prepared their returns were larger than they had received in the past.
The government alleged at trial that Musgrove's intent was to acquire larger refunds for her clients so she could secure repeat business.
The total tax loss from the 22 false tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service is approximately $127,166.
A conviction for aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false federal income tax returns carries a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment and a fine of $100,000, or both.