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Caneadea Woman Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns

A Caneadea woman has been sentenced to prison for her role in filing false tax returns in Western New York.

Amanda L. Rickard, 41, was convicted of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return and was sentenced to serve 36 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.

Rickard was also ordered to pay $58,819 in restitution to the IRS and $19,772 in restitution to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

Between 2011 and 2018, Rickard prepared income tax returns for friends and acquaintances, reporting materially false information on her clients’ individual income tax returns.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly said that Rickard maintained a notebook identifying the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of a number of children—including Dependent 1—whose parents had not claimed them as dependents on their own tax returns.

Rickard then used this information to prepare the materially false tax returns on her clients’ behalf. During that same time period, the defendant also prepared and submitted individual tax returns on behalf of taxpayers who had not authorized her to do so.

The case highlights the importance of tax compliance and the consequences of filing false tax returns. It also serves as a reminder to taxpayers to verify the accuracy of their tax returns and to ensure that they are not relying on unscrupulous preparers to file their returns.

Contact: Barbara Burns, (716) 843-5817 or (716) 551-3051