Maria Mendoza, Filing False Tax Returns, Nevada 2023

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Maria Magdalena Mendoza (52) was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for fraudulently preparing and filing over $1.2 million false income tax returns.

Mendoza pleaded guilty in February 2023 to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false income tax returns. The scheme, which began around 2013, saw her running her own tax preparation business under the names “Taxes & More” and “Taxs y Mas.”

According to court documents, Mendoza used false or inflated deductions and credits on tax returns filed on behalf of her clients. She also used her clients’ personal identifying information to falsely obtain a larger refund on her own tax returns. In total, Mendoza prepared more than 700 tax returns that claimed more than $3 million in refunds from the IRS, causing more than $1.2 million in tax loss.

The scheme was discovered after Mendoza was arrested in March 2023 while in possession of a stolen passport, drivers licenses, and credit cards in the name of other individuals, along with forged copies of checks.

“The defendant prepared hundreds of false income tax returns and brazenly defrauded the IRS of more than $1.2 million,” said United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “Tax preparers who use false deductions to inflate tax refunds and defraud their clients will be investigated. We will hold unscrupulous tax return preparers accountable.”

Mendoza’s actions not only cheated the IRS but also victimized her clients, causing them to be audited by the IRS. “Through this scheme, she diverted over $500,000 of her clients’ tax refund payments to herself,” said Albert Childress, Special Agent in Charge IRS Criminal Investigation.

The IRS CI and TIGTA investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Schmale prosecuted the case. If you have information about an individual or a business you suspect of tax fraud, you can submit a report to the IRS at: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/how-do-you-report-suspected-tax-fraud-activity

Related Federal Cases