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Okeechobee Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud Scheme
A 47-year-old Okeechobee man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $238,734 in restitution for his role in a tax fraud scheme. Wyman Pittman, a paid tax preparer, was found guilty of aiding in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns.
Pittman, along with his former partner Ventrell Bouie, operated a tax preparation service business, First Premium Financial Services (FPFS), in Okeechobee, Florida. Between 2008 and 2012, Pittman prepared individual income tax returns, assisting in the preparation of multiple, fraudulent tax returns by supplying false income and deduction figures, failing to review them in detail with the taxpayers, and then electronically filing them for the taxpayers.
The scheme involved filing false tax returns that falsely itemized deductions for medical and work expenses, resulting in inflated and unmerited tax refund payments. Pittman knew that the taxpayers had not claimed or provided the information regarding those deductions for inclusion in the tax return.
According to court documents, Maria Garcia, a paid tax preparer who worked for FPFS from 2008, was trained and supervised by Pittman and Bouie. Garcia prepared false returns for customers based on false Schedules A and C, false education credits, and false child and dependent care credits. Garcia also filed three false returns for herself for tax years 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Garcia learned the tax preparation business under Bouie and Pittman and used that knowledge to start her own tax preparation business, where she too prepared false returns. Bouie and Garcia were charged separately and pled guilty to aiding in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns. Bouie was sentenced to 24 months in prison, while Garcia was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the IRS-CI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore M. Cooperstein. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The scheme resulted in a significant financial loss for the U.S. government, with Pittman ordered to pay $238,734 in restitution. The sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of engaging in tax fraud and the importance of honest tax preparation practices.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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