An Essex County, New Jersey, tax preparer has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for conspiring to obtain over $4.4 million by defrauding the IRS, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced yesterday.
Omar Khater, 33, of Fairfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court on Jan. 23, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.
Khater’s conspirator, Walid Khater, 38, of Arizona, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024, to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.
"Omar Khater has admitted his role in an elaborate scheme that used stolen personal identifying information and fabricated tax returns to bilk the IRS of millions of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger stated.
"He and a relative submitted tax documents falsely claiming that the taxpayers listed on those documents had earned certain income or won thousands – and in some cases millions – of dollars in gambling and lottery winnings," he added.
The scheme caused the U.S. Treasury to issue tax refunds totaling $4.49 million, which the Khaters and others diverted to bank accounts they controlled in New Jersey and elsewhere.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Omar Khater to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $4.49 million.
The investigation leading to today’s sentencing was credited to special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and FBI-Newark.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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