Santa Fe Man Jailed for Tax Scam

Santa Fe Man Jailed for Tax Scam

Andre Lewis, 34, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on federal tax offenses.

Lewis was ordered to pay $118,470.76, less any money already repaid by other taxpayers, in restitution to the IRS. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Dawn Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation.

Lewis was arrested on May 8, 2014, on an eleven-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to defraud the IRS, making a materially false statement to a federal officer, and preparing and aiding and abetting the preparation and filing of false tax returns.

Between February 2009 and August 2009, Lewis conspired with others to defraud the IRS by preparing and filing fraudulent claims for tax refunds. Lewis and his co-conspirators obtained the names, identifiers, and W-2 Forms for federal taxpayers, and used that information to electronically file federal income tax returns.

The scheme involved false claims for the First Time Home Buyer Credit or false withholding information, resulting in tax refunds to which they were not entitled from the IRS. Lewis and his conspirators obtained an aggregate of $118,470.76 through this unlawful scheme.

Lewis entered guilty pleas to Counts 1 and 3 of the indictment charging him with conspiracy and aiding and abetting the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return. In his plea agreement, Lewis admitted filing a false tax return in February 2009, by which he fraudulently obtained $16,024.14 from the IRS.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation in Albuquerque and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean J. Sullivan. Lewis’s sentencing is a significant blow to those who would seek to defraud the IRS and undermine the integrity of our tax system.

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