CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Berlinda Luikens, the owner and operator of the Tax Company, a local tax preparation business, has admitted to preparing false tax returns, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas.
According to the release, Luikens admitted to filing false and fraudulent tax returns from 2016 to 2020, resulting in at least $446,301 in U.S. dollars lost.
Luikens also reported false business and farming losses and false charitable deductions in amounts that taxpayers were not entitled to claim.
“Tax season ends on April 15, but there is no end to our efforts to bring tax criminals to justice,” Special Agent-in-Charge Ramsey E. Covington of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office said. “Our special agents are the best in the business when it comes to solving financial crimes, which is why more than 90 percent of our cases result in convictions.”
Luiken's sentencing will be imposed by U.S. District Judge Ramos on June 28, and she faces up to three years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
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