The operator of Pender Tax Services, LLC, a tax preparation business in Rosenhayn, N.J., has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and nine counts of preparing fraudulent tax returns for her clients.
According to the indictment, Noemi Pender allegedly conspired with others to prepare fraudulent tax returns from tax years 2007 through 2011 by claiming false filing statuses, fabricating and inflating itemized deductions, fabricating and inflating child and dependent care expenses, fabricating and inflating education expenses and falsely claiming dependent children that had been fabricated by Pender and others. The fraudulent tax returns allegedly caused a tax loss to the government of over $340,000.
“The allegations in the indictment against Ms. Pender should serve as a reminder on how important it is when choosing a tax preparer,” said Jonathan D. Larsen, special agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Newark Field Office, in a statement. “While most return preparers provide excellent service to their clients, a few dishonest tax preparers file false and fraudulent returns to defraud the government, the taxpaying public and their own clients.”
If Pender is convicted, the count of conspiracy carries up to five years in prison and each count of preparing fraudulent tax returns carries up to three years in prison. Each of the counts in the indictment carries a statutory maximum fine equal to the greatest of either $250,000, twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary loss sustained by any victims of the offense.
