Randall Lenz, Filing False Tax Return, Florida 2023

Randall Lenz, a 30-year veteran in tax matters, pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return that claimed a fraudulent charitable contribution relating to the donation of a conservation easement over land.

Lenz, of Boca Raton, Florida, was a licensed CPA and attorney who marketed illegal tax shelters to his clients, earning him over $700,000 in commissions. The tax shelters enabled high-income taxpayers to claim inflated charitable contribution deductions in connection with the purported donation of a conservation easement over land.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the tax shelters operators created an LLC and then acquired land, or an entity that owned land, through the LLC. In exchange for purchasing units in funds operated by the LLCs, clients were supplied with documentation and tax forms purporting to justify tax deductions in amounts 4 to 4.5 times the amount of money the clients paid for their units.

Lenz admitted that he knew the tax shelters did not entitle him to a tax deduction, but he nonetheless purchased units for himself in 2018 and 2019. As a result, he was able to claim false charitable deductions of approximately $100,000 on his tax returns for each of those years.

Lenz faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft and Nichols J. Schilling Jr. of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Lenz’s guilty plea was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart, and he is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. The exact date of sentencing is not specified.

Mandatory Facts:

1. Defendant/respondent real full name: Randall Lenz

2. Exact criminal charges: filing a false tax return

3. City and state: Boca Raton, Florida

4. Exact date: not specified

5. Sentence or outcome: faces up to three years in prison, supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties

6. Dollar amounts: over $700,000 in commissions, $100,000 in false charitable deductions

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