Houston tax preparer pleads guilty to filing false tax returns resulting in over $100,000 in losses

Date: July 26, 2024

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HOUSTON - A tax preparer has admitted to aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false 2017 income tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

As part of his plea, Christopher J. Guevara admitted that from at least 2018 to 2020, he owned and operated Chris Tax Service in Houston. He admitted to often placing false Schedule A deductions, residential energy credits, and Schedule C businesses on the returns he prepared, generating larger refunds to which his clients were not entitled. He also admitted to making money through preparation fees he would make money by charging preparation fees.

Guevara admitted to placing $26,857 in false business losses that were listed on the 2017 Schedule C. As a result, the tax loss to the United States on that return was approximately $13,390.

Guevara took responsibility for $123,458 in losses to the IRS and has agreed to pay that amount in restitution.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett will impose sentencing Oct. 31. At that time, Guevara faces up to three years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray is prosecuting the case.

CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.