Abdoulaye Coumbassa, Tax Evasion, Pennsylvania 2023

Abdoulaye Coumbassa, a former Philadelphia tax return preparer, was sentenced to 24 months in prison today for aiding in the preparation of a false client tax return.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Coumbassa owned and operated Abbi Tax Services and Accounting (Abbi Tax). From at least 2012 to 2015, Coumbassa prepared and filed fraudulent tax returns and related forms and schedules on behalf of his clients. By reporting fictitious businesses with false business losses, Coumbassa sought inflated refunds for his clients from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). At times, Coumbassa included the fake business losses without the client’s knowledge. In total, Coumbassa caused a tax loss of $2.1 million to the IRS.

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick ordered Coumbassa to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $250,000 in restitution to the United States.

Coumbassa was charged with aiding in the preparation of a false tax return, which is a felony offense under the Internal Revenue Code.

The investigation was conducted by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben, and Trial Attorney Sarah Ranney of the Tax Division, prosecuted the case.

Abdoulaye Coumbassa’s crime had significant financial consequences for the Internal Revenue Service, causing a tax loss of $2.1 million.

Coumbassa’s sentence is a result of his scheme to defraud the IRS by preparing and filing fraudulent tax returns on behalf of his clients.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/philadelphia-tax-preparer-sentenced-prison-false-returns