| Tax fraud brings record fines
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance last week slapped civil penalties of $606,000 on the two convicted owners and operators of a now defunct Ridgewood tax preparation business.The fines are the largest penalties the department has ever imposed against paid tax preparers for filing fraudulent tax returns.Briseida Christopher, 65, of Brooklyn, the owner of Gypsy Travel and Juana DeCastro of Woodhaven, a tax preparer who worked at the Gypsy Travel office pleaded guilty this past summer to felony charges relating to the preparation and filing of false income tax returns.Christopher and DeCastro were indicted in February 2007 and charged with multiple felony counts for filing fraudulent New York State personal income tax returns for clients and for themselves. They were also cited for secretly charging their client's additional tax preparation fees - sometimes as much as $600 per client - against their refund anticipation loans.
Local IRS Offices Open Saturday To Help People File For Stimulus Payments
PITTSBURGH -- Local Internal Revenue Service offices will be open on Saturday, March 29 to help taxpayers file a tax return in order to receive their Economic Stimulus Payment, commonly referred to as a rebate. IRS personnel will be on hand to answer questions about the Economic Stimulus payments and file tax returns, which you must be done in order to receive a stimulus payment. Along with more than 300 IRS locations covering all 5O states, the following IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Monroeville, Penn Office Building, 4314 Old William penn Hwy. Pittsburgh, 1000 Liberty Ave. Washington, 162 W. Chestnut St. LINK:
- IRS.gov .
Tax scam artist avoids jail time
A South Side Slopes woman avoided prison Tuesday despite helping her incarcerated husband rip off the federal government from his prison cell as part of a tax return scam the IRS calls an increasing problem. Elizabeth Lloyd-El, 43, received five years of probation with six months of house arrest from U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose. Lloyd-El also was ordered to pay the Treasury Department $28,207.74 in restitution. "I don't think you're going to be committing future crimes with your husband," Ambrose told Lloyd-El. "In fact, I think you should have very little contact with him." "None," Lloyd-El said. .
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