Virginia Return Preparer Indicted for Evading her Own Taxes and Not Filing Her Returns

A federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, returned an indictment charging a return preparer with tax evasion and failure to file individual income tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to the indictment, Willette J. Holland owned Tax Professionals, a tax preparation firm located in Richmond, Virginia. In August 2014, the IRS allegedly contacted Holland regarding her failure to file her 2010 through 2013 personal tax returns. Holland then allegedly presented false returns for those years, which understated her business income, gross receipts, and net profit, to an IRS Revenue Agent. In 2013 and 2014, Holland allegedly attempted to evade taxes by depositing income into a bank account held in the name of a nominee, thereby concealing her income from the IRS. Finally, in 2015 and 2016, Holland allegedly failed to file tax returns despite being required to do so by law.

If convicted, Holland faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion and faces a maximum sentence of one year of incarceration for each count of failure to file individual income tax returns. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Terwilliger commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Francine Davis and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Maguire, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.