Tucson tax preparer sentenced to 21 months in prison

A federal judge sentenced a Tucson tax preparer to 21 months in prison for trying to defraud the IRS of $651,500.

Jose Jesus Gonzalez, 48, pleaded guilty to willfully filing a false individual income tax return. Gonzalez did business as Gonzalez Insurance and Tax Services in Tucson from 2004 to 2009 and in Phoenix from 2009 to 2010, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

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In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge James A. Soto ordered Gonzalez to pay $255,000 in restitution and a $17,488 fine.

In 2008, Gonzalez e-filed 90 tax returns seeking $651,500 in false claims for the First Time Home Buyer Credit. The IRS disallowed some of those claims. The agency is trying to recover $620,000 paid for the rest of the false claims, the news release said.