Practical and Practice issues for Professionals who practice in the area of taxation. Moral, social and economic issues relating to taxes, including international issues, the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, state tax issues, etc. Not for "tax protestor" issues, which should be posted in the "tax protestor" forum above. The advice or opinion given herein should not be relied on for any purpose whatsoever. Also examines cookie-cutter deals that have no economic substance but exist only to generate losses, as marketed by everybody from solo practitioner tax lawyers to the major accounting firms.
A former tax examiner for the D.C. government admitted in federal court Thursday that she stole more than $400,000 in fraudulent tax refunds during a four-year span.
In pleading guilty to a wire fraud, Mary Ayers-Zander, 47, faces up to 63 months in prison under federal guidelines when sentenced on Feb. 2 in the District’s federal court.
Federal prosecutors said that Ayers-Zander orchestrated her scheme from 2007 through early this year. As a tax examiner, Ayers-Zander accessed taxpayer accounts of four people and then credited them with fraudulent withholding adjustments, prosecutors said.
In court, Ayers-Zander admitted she then made sure those credits — worth $365,281 — were routed to two personal accounts that she controlled, according to prosecutors.
Even at the local level in Washington, it's surprising that paltry sum was even news worthy. Must have been a slow day.