Indiana Tax Preparer Filed False Claims for Refunds

EmploymentCrossing.com

An Indiana woman has been accused of filing false claims for tax refunds, while serving as office manager of an H&R Block branch in Indianapolis.

US Attorney Timothy Morrison said Fishers resident Lori Crisp, 44, worked as both an office manager and a preparer of federal tax returns in 2005 and 2006, when the alleged crimes occurred. Morrison said Crisp prepared and electronically filed 47 false claims for refunds using fraudulent W-2 forms. Of the 47, he said, 46 showed the same wages of $34,289 and 36 claimed fraudulent education credits. T

he total amount of claimed refunds was $218,000 dollars. Morrison said $34,000 in refunds were issued before agents with the Internal Revenue Service detected the scheme. "The scheme was to obtain $218,000 in refunds in the names of people whose addresses are not on the returns and who don't know that the returns are being filed," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Heckard Dowd.

Crisp faces a possible five-year prison term and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

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