Date: February 17, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov EL PASO — An El Paso man was sentenced today to a total of 12 months of confinement for filing false personal tax returns. According to court documents, Victor Manuel Gonzalez Estrada, aka Victor Manuel Gonzalez was the owner of Tax Preparation Services. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) agents discovered that Gonzalez filed fraudulent federal income tax returns for multiple years. Gonzalez claimed his income from his tax preparation business was $17,462; $18,450; and $25,328 for tax years 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. Court records revealed that Gonzalez earned over $350,000 during that period. In addition to underreporting his yearly income, Gonzalez applied for and improperly received refunds through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a refundable tax credit for low to moderate income workers. On August 24, 2021, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to three counts of filing a false personal tax return. In addition to his confinement, Gonzalez was ordered to file his accurate amended taxes for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. He must also file accurate taxes for 2017 and 2018. "It is appalling that the defendant would go to such lengths over the course of several tax years to falsify his own tax returns while operating as a tax preparer," said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. "Our office is proud to have partnered with IRS CI in holding him accountable for his actions." "With today's sentencing of a tax preparer who was sure he was getting away without paying his fair share of Federal income taxes, the public is again reminded to do their due diligence when selecting their own tax preparer this filing season," said IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the Houston Field Office. "All individuals, regardless of occupation, are required to accurately report all taxable income before they transmit their tax returns to the IRS." The IRS CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Osterberg prosecuted the case.
