Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

August 25, 2020

Tax preparer gets prison for false returns

PHOTO | Pixabay.com
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

A Bridgeport-based tax preparer was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for preparing false returns for several clients. 

Veronica Huitzil, 39, of Bridgeport, will also be on supervised release for one year after she serves her sentence. 

U.S. District Court Judge Kari A. Dooley additionally ordered Huitzil to make full restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, which lost $898,665 in tax revenue due to Huitzil’s actions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Huitzil remains free on bond and doesn’t have to report to prison to serve her sentence until Nov. 30.

Back in February, Huitzil pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return.

Her business, Huitzil Tax Services, has operated out of 2704 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Huitzil is listed as principal of Huitzil Enterprises LLC, which was registered with the Secretary of the State’s office in 2014.

According to the government, Huitzil helped customers file more than 3,700 federal tax returns for the 2014 through 2018 tax years. Many of these returns contained false information, such as claiming dependents who weren’t actually dependents. Some returns included deductions for business losses for fictitious businesses. The false information also involved inflated or fabricated medical expenses, charitable contributions and employee business expenses, prosecutors said.

As part of their investigation, IRS agents conducted an undercover operation, with an agent posing as a walk-in client seeking to have an income tax return prepared, documents show. Huitzil prepared a false return for the agent by adding a non-existent niece as a dependent, which resulted in a false tax credit and dependent exemption.

Attorney James Glasser of Wiggin & Dana in New Haven, who represents Huitzil, indicated in a  pre-sentencing memorandum that she “deeply regrets her criminal conduct,” and noted that she didn’t receive any personal financial gain from it.

“She fully recognizes that her conduct was wrong and, unfortunately, was motivated by a misguided desire to help others who were disadvantaged and struggling without fully appreciating the corresponding impact of her conduct,” Glasser wrote in the memorandum. “Ms. Huitzil did not commit the offense to which she pleaded guilty out of greed or avarice.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schmeisser asked for Huitzil to receive a prison sentence to deter others from filing falsified returns.

“Deterrence remains vitally important and jail time is necessary to send an appropriate message,” Schmeisser said, in the government’s pre-sentencing memorandum.

Any of Huitzil’s clients who have false information on their tax returns must file amended returns to the IRS, prosecutors said.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF