Yolanda Dewar, Filing False Tax Returns, Florida 2022

A Florida woman has been sentenced to prison for filing false tax returns with the IRS to obtain tax refunds.

Yolanda Dewar, a resident of Florida, filed four false tax returns between 2018 and 2020, seeking a total of almost $2 million in tax refunds from the IRS on behalf of a trust she created.

The false returns falsely reported that the trust had earned significant income, made payments to the IRS, and had federal income taxes withheld on its behalf.

Despite being notified by the IRS that her claims were frivolous and had no basis in law, Dewar continued filing false returns. In total, the IRS issued nearly $500,000 to the trust in response to Dewar's false claims.

The funds obtained through the false tax refunds were used by Dewar for personal expenses, including purchasing a car for a family member, getting plastic surgery, and renovating her home.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deric Zacca for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Kavitha Bondada of the Justice Department's Tax Division prosecuted the case.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

A related court document and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60051.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/florida-woman-sentenced-prison-filing-false-refund-claims