Darryl Stanley Horton - OKEMOS TAX RETURN PREPARER PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSE AND FRAUDULENT RETURNS
The United States Attorney's Office
Western District of Michigan
Contact:
B. RENÉ SHEKMER
ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY
PHONE: (616) 456-2404
justice.gov
OKEMOS TAX RETURN PREPARER PLEADS GUILTY TO
FALSE AND FRAUDULENT RETURNS
THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 - GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Darryl Stanley Horton, 49, of Okemos, Michigan, entered pleas of guilty to eight counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation to the Internal Revenue Service of false and fraudulent income tax returns for the years 2004 through 2007, including his own federal tax returns for each of the four years, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. During his guilty plea, Horton admitted that he was in the business of preparing tax returns during the years 2004 through 2008 and that the aggregate tax loss to the United States from the false and fraudulent tax returns was between $300,000 and $400,000. The false and fraudulent returns variously claimed false business losses, false itemized deductions, and false refunds, resulting in underpayment of federal income taxes and the receipt of fraudulent tax refunds.
"Abusive tax return preparers think they have the skills to deceive the Internal Revenue Service,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Maurice M. Aouate.
“Willfully filing tax returns with fictitious businesses or turning a net profit into a false net loss to maximize a tax refund is against the law.”
"In crimes such as this, the American citizens are victimized twice; once, when the fraudulent tax returns are filed resulting in the underpayment of taxes owed and the issuance of fraudulent tax refunds and, again, when the Government has to spend the money and resources necessary to uncover and prosecute the crimes. Honest taxpayers should, and do, expect no less than our best effort on their behalf." Davis said.
Horton faces a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 and the costs of prosecution on each count.
This case is being prosecuted on behalf of the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney B. René Shekmer and was investigated by Special Agents of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
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This web page last updated on:
April 01, 2010
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