Robert Cusenza, Tax Fraud, Florida 2023

Robert Cusenza, a West Palm Beach tax return preparer, has been hit with a federal lawsuit for allegedly claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits for his customers.

According to the government complaint, Cusenza, who operates C R Insurance Agency Inc., has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone. The complaint also alleges that Cusenza prepared returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

The fuel tax credit is a credit available only to taxpayers who operate farm equipment or other off-highway business vehicles. The equipment or vehicles must not be registered for highway uses; meaning, that fuel purchased by truck drivers and companies for commercial transport does not qualify. The government complaint alleges that Cusenza fraudulently claims this credit for highway drivers who are not qualified to receive the credit. Moreover, according to the complaint, Cusenza claimed absurdly large credits for his customers by falsely reporting purchases of huge quantities of gasoline. For example, the complaint asserts that Cusenza claimed that one customer purchased 48,000 gallons of gasoline for 'off-highway business use of gasoline' and 'other nontaxable use of gasoline.' The complaint further asserts that, assuming $2.00 per gallon, the customer would have had to spend approximately $96,000 to purchase that amount of gasoline, despite reporting only $12,012 in income.

The complaint also alleges that Cusenza claimed a variety of other bogus deductions, like home mortgage interest. On one return, detailed in the complaint, Cusenza claimed that a husband and wife who collectively made $17,878 in wages and $780 in business income had the means to pay and were entitled to deduct $2,132,287 in interest on their home mortgage.

Over the past decade, the government has obtained injunctions against more than 375 tax return preparers and tax-fraud promoters.

The federal lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, seeks to bar Cusenza permanently from the tax preparation business and to order him to turn over his customer list to the government.

Cusenza, 42, operates C R Insurance Agency Inc. in West Palm Beach, Florida. The government’s complaint alleges that he has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone.

According to the complaint, Cusenza has prepared tax returns for customers claiming false fuel tax credits, fabricated income and/or expenses to maximize the earned income tax credit, and obtained refunds for his customers by falsely reporting purchases of gasoline.

The complaint also alleges that Cusenza claimed a variety of other bogus deductions, including home mortgage interest, for his customers.

Robert Cusenza, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, was born on April 10, 1981. He operates C R Insurance Agency Inc. in West Palm Beach, Florida. The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza prepared returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

The fuel tax credit is a credit available only to taxpayers who operate farm equipment or other off-highway business vehicles. The equipment or vehicles must not be registered for highway uses; meaning, that fuel purchased by truck drivers and companies for commercial transport does not qualify.

The government complaint alleges that Cusenza fraudulently claims this credit for highway drivers who are not qualified to receive the credit. Moreover, according to the complaint, Cusenza claimed absurdly large credits for his customers by falsely reporting purchases of huge quantities of gasoline. For example, the complaint asserts that Cusenza claimed that one customer purchased 48,000 gallons of gasoline for 'off-highway business use of gasoline' and 'other nontaxable use of gasoline.'

The complaint further asserts that, assuming $2.00 per gallon, the customer would have had to spend approximately $96,000 to purchase that amount of gasoline, despite reporting only $12,012 in income.

The complaint also alleges that Cusenza claimed a variety of other bogus deductions, like home mortgage interest. On one return, detailed in the complaint, Cusenza claimed that a husband and wife who collectively made $17,878 in wages and $780 in business income had the means to pay and were entitled to deduct $2,132,287 in interest on their home mortgage.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone.

Cusenza, 42, operates C R Insurance Agency Inc. in West Palm Beach, Florida. He has been accused of preparing tax returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

The complaint also alleges that Cusenza claimed a variety of other bogus deductions, including home mortgage interest, for his customers.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza prepared returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

The fuel tax credit is a credit available only to taxpayers who operate farm equipment or other off-highway business vehicles. The equipment or vehicles must not be registered for highway uses; meaning, that fuel purchased by truck drivers and companies for commercial transport does not qualify.

Robert Cusenza, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, was born on April 10, 1981. He operates C R Insurance Agency Inc. in West Palm Beach, Florida. The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza prepared returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza has prepared tax returns claiming nearly $200,000 in false fuel tax credits alone.

The complaint alleges that Cusenza claimed a variety of other bogus deductions, including home mortgage interest, for his customers.

The government’s complaint alleges that Cusenza prepared returns that fabricated his customers’ income and/or expenses in order to maximize the earned income tax credit and obtain refunds for his customers.

Defendant Name: Robert Cusenza

Criminal Charges: Suing to stop tax preparation business and turn over customer list

City and State: West Palm Beach, Florida

Exact Date: No exact date provided

Sentence or Outcome: Ongoing lawsuit

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/united-states-sues-stop-florida-tax-return-preparer-claiming-allegedly-bogus-tax-credits