March 15, 2023 - A federal grand jury in Riverside, California, returned an indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charging a California man with 47 counts of preparing false tax returns.

According to the indictment, for tax years 2016 through 2021, Salvador Gonzalez operated a tax preparation business, Grace’s Lighthouse Resource Center, Inc., in Corona, California, and prepared individual and corporate income tax returns for clients to submit to the IRS that claimed tens of thousands of dollars in false business losses. Gonzalez also allegedly falsified additional deductions on client returns, including medical and dental expenses, unreimbursed employee expenses, and charitable contributions, knowing that the clients were not entitled to the amounts claimed.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each false return count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Lauren K. Pope of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and AUSA Robert S. Trisotto of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Riverside Branch Office, are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: DOJ Release