Promoters Sentenced To Prison For Tax Fraud Scheme

 A federal judge in San Diego sentenced Susan E. O’Brien, a professional tax preparer who operated The O’Brien Group, to 10 years and five months in prison. As part of the sentence, she will also serve a three-year term of supervised release and pay restitution in the amount of $113,179.

Judge M. James Lorenz also sentenced co-defendants Robert Richard Evans and William Dean Cook to prison terms of 78 and 24 months, respectively. Both Evans and Cook will each serve a three-year term of supervised release.

“Dishonest tax professionals harm the good reputation of honest ones and cheat all honest taxpayers,” said Eileen J. O’Connor, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Tax Division. “People who prepare fraudulent returns or peddle tax scams can expect to be prosecuted, convicted and sent to prison.”

In July 2003, O’Brien, Evans, Cook and five others were charged in a 78-count indictment with various tax crimes related to tax years 1996-2002. According to the indictment and trial evidence, O’Brien prepared numerous income tax returns that claimed false business deductions and Evans promoted, sold and managed domestic trusts that were used by clients to conceal income and assets from the IRS. Read more at usdoj.gov