Philadelphia, PA – In a brazen scheme to line her pockets, Denise Miller Almanza and her business, Denise’s Centro de Servicios, PC, allegedly reduced customers’ income or wrongly claimed tax credits on their tax returns, causing them to receive tax refunds or increased refund amounts they weren’t entitled to.
According to a federal complaint, Almanza improperly claimed the additional child tax credit on customers’ income tax returns, which allowed her customers to receive, on average, over $2,900 in improper benefits per tax return. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleges that Almanza’s activities over the last four years have potentially cost the U.S. Treasury millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Since 2010, Almanza and her business have prepared more than 14,000 federal tax returns, the complaint states. The U.S. government has asked a federal court to permanently bar Almanza and her business from preparing federal tax returns for others.
The IRS has identified return preparer fraud as one of the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2014. The agency offers tips on its website for choosing a trustworthy tax preparer. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers, including information available on the government’s website.
Almanza’s alleged scheme is just one of the many cases of return preparer fraud that have been brought to light in recent years. The government has made it clear that it will not tolerate such cheating and will take action to protect the integrity of the tax system.
The case is a stark reminder of the importance of choosing a reputable tax preparer and being cautious of individuals who claim to offer unusually large tax refunds. The public is urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
As the investigation unfolds, Almanza’s fate and the financial repercussions of her actions remain uncertain. One thing is clear, however: the U.S. government will not hesitate to take action against those who seek to exploit the system for personal gain.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story and other crime news in the Grimy Times.
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