Date: April 21, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov In an indictment unsealed today, a federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, indicted a tax return preparer for willfully helping clients file false tax returns with the IRS. According to the indictment, in 2016 and 2017, Adela Cruz prepared tax returns for her clients that included false education credits, dependent information, and business profits and losses. Cruz allegedly charged the clients between $200 and $500 for each return. Cruz allegedly also falsified her own individual income tax returns for 2015 and 2016, claiming false education credits she was not entitled to receive. If convicted, Cruz faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return for herself and her clients. She also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Robert A. Kemins and Nicholas J. Schilling, Jr. of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
