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Torise Baker, age 38, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty on Monday, March 21, to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent income tax returns, according to Leonard Boyle, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut.
From the 2014 through 2016 tax years, Baker prepared about 3,600 federal tax returns for clients through her 101 Things 2 Do, LLC business in Bridgeport, the US Attorney's Office said.
Boyle said many of the returns "claimed false deductions, including unreimbursed business expenses, charitable contributions and tax preparation fees."
Baker met with an undercover federal agent who was pretending to be a customer in April 2016, Boyle said.
The agent gave Baker a W-2 for the 2015 tax year and said they didn't make charitable gifts and gave no information about other valid deductions, according to the report.
On the tax return Baker filed for the agent, she included "$5,520 in deductions for charitable gifts, $2,105 for parking fees, tolls, and transportation, and $2,660 for uniforms and protective clothing," Boyle said.
She also did not file her own federal tax returns for the 2015 and 2016 tax years, the US Attorney's Office reported.
Baker reportedly agreed to pay $112,956 in restitution to the IRS.
"As a result of Baker’s criminal conduct, many of her clients’ filed tax returns will need to be amended," the US Attorney's Office reported. "The amount of Baker’s restitution may be reduced as her clients resolve their own tax liability with the IRS."
Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
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