Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison in Silver Spring Scheme
A federal jury in Washington has convicted Marcel J. Toto-Ngosso, a tax return preparer from Silver Spring, Md., of 17 counts of preparing false tax returns in connection with a scheme to generate fraudulent tax refunds for client-taxpayers.
The scheme, which took place between 2001 and 2006, involved Toto-Ngosso preparing false tax returns for his clients that claimed numerous fraudulent deductions, including false dependents, inflated charitable contributions, and un-reimbursed employee expenses.
Toto-Ngosso, who operated his tax preparation business out of his home on East Shaw Avenue in Silver Spring, purchased the names and Social Security numbers of individuals and sold them to his clients for $500 to $800 per dependent. He used these names and Social Security numbers on the false tax returns to secure larger refunds for his clients.
After learning he was under investigation by the IRS, Toto-Ngosso instructed his clients to lie about the information he reported on their tax returns. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus has scheduled sentencing for September 21, 2009. Toto-Ngosso is currently detained pending sentencing.
As a result of his conviction, Toto-Ngosso faces a maximum of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conviction.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Justice Department’s Tax Division commended the IRS Criminal Investigation special agents who investigated the case and the Tax Division trial attorneys who prosecuted the case.
Toto-Ngosso’s scheme had far-reaching consequences, resulting in significant financial losses for the U.S. government. His conviction serves as a warning to those who would engage in similar tax evasion schemes.
Related Federal Cases
- Kevin Brown, Tax Fraud Scheme, Maryland 2024 · District of Columbia
- William M. Mahon, Falsifying Bank Records and Tax Evasion, Illinois 2017 · Illinois
- Dennis G. Sartain, Tax Evasion and Money Laundering, Florida 2008 · Florida
- Bruce Bergman, Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion, Washington 2023 · Minnesota
- Frank J. Picone, Tax Evasion, WV, 2023 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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