Feds say Aurora tax preparer filed bogus claims

AURORA | An Aurora tax preparer’s fraudulent tax returns may have cost the government as much as $4 million, the United States Department of Justice said in a statement Monday. 

Click below for the DOJ release. 

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ASKS FEDERAL COURT TO SHUT DOWNCOLORADO TAX RETURN PREPARER 

 Tax Return Preparer Allegedly Reports Losses for Non-Existent Businesses, Claims Fabricated and Inflated Deductions,  

 Fraudulently Claims Earned Income Tax Credit

    WASHINGTON - The United States has filed a complaint in federal court in Colorado against George Thomas Gaines of Aurora, Colo, the Justice Department announced today. The government’s lawsuit seeks to bar Gaines and his tax preparation companies from preparing federal tax returns for others.

    According to the government’s complaint in the case, Gaines, through his companies, G&G Tax Service and American Benefits, prepares federal income tax returns for customers that claim losses for non-existent businesses and inflated or fabricated deductions in order to unlawfully understate tax liabilities or claim the earned income tax credit.

     According to the complaint, the Internal Revenue Service has identified 210 returns prepared by Gaines between 2004 and 2007 that contain understatements of customers’ tax liabilities, out of 218 returns audited. The government alleges that these understatements have resulted in a tax harm of more than $900,000, and the total lost revenue could be as much as nearly $4 million.

    This civil injunction action is part of the Justice Department’s nationwide crackdown on tax scams, including the preparation of fraudulent federal tax returns. Since 2001, the Justice Department has obtained hundreds of injunctions to stop the promotion of tax fraud schemes and the preparation of fraudulent returns. More information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division can be found at www.usdoj.gov/tax.