Todd P. Halpern, a 48-year-old tax return preparer from Livingston, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to filing false claims with the IRS using a dead tax return preparer’s identification and preparing false documents for numerous fraudulent loans.
According to documents filed in this case and statements in court, Halpern purchased A & V Financial (A & V), a tax return preparation business located in Guttenberg, N.J., from the wife of the prior owner, V.R., who had died in March 2008. Halpern received the company’s computers and all of its client records.
As part of the agreement to purchase A & V, Halpern was to obtain a new Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) in his own name. Instead, he continued to file tax returns using V.R.’s EFIN number because Halpern’s criminal record prevented him from obtaining an EFIN.
From 2009 through 2010, Halpern prepared and caused to be filed 657 fraudulent federal income tax returns with the IRS using V.R.’s EFIN. Halpern prepared and filed some of these fraudulent tax returns without the knowledge and authorization of the taxpayers identified on the returns. Some of these tax returns contained fraudulent income and deduction amounts, which generated fraudulent refunds that were directly deposited into Halpern’s bank account.
On or about June 24, 2009, in one case, Halpern prepared and filed a fraudulent 2008 Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return with the IRS in the name of B.G., which fraudulently claimed an income tax refund in the amount of $13,183. The 2008 Form 1040 prepared by Halpern contained false income and deduction entries for B.G., because B.G. did not have any income for that tax year and did not file an income tax return. The $13,183 tax refund was directly deposited into Halpern’s bank account.
Halpern received a total of $373,938 in fraudulent tax refunds. He used these funds to support his lavish lifestyle, including purchases at Prada, Chanel, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdales, to acquire season tickets to the New York Giants, to purchase thousands of dollars in jewelry, gold coins, and silver certificates, to make car payments on multiple luxury vehicles, including a 2007 Cadillac Escalade and a 2008 Lexus GX-470, and to buy car parts for his classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air.
Defendant/Respondent: Todd P. Halpern
Criminal Charges: Filing false claims and wire fraud
City and State: Livingston, New Jersey
Exact Date: 2009-2012 (arrest and plea hearing dates not specified)
Sentence or Outcome: Pleaded guilty
Dollar Amounts: $373,938 in fraudulent tax refunds
Related Federal Cases
- Amit Govil, Filing a False Tax Return, New Jersey 2010 · Pennsylvania
- Lissette Delarosa, Mail Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2010 · Florida
- Vincent P. Falci, Wire Fraud, Securities Fraud, New Jersey 2024 · Pennsylvania
- John Rizzitello, Time Card Fraud, New Jersey 2016 · Washington
- Michael Conway, Wire Fraud, New Jersey 2016 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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