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Area Tax Preparer Charged With Evasion, Filing Fraudulent Returns

A Hudson Valley tax preparer has been charged in an 84-count indictment for a long-running scheme where his company assisted in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.

White Plains Federal Court.

White Plains Federal Court.

Photo Credit: File

Eversley Barrett, the owner of Eversley Tax in New Windsor, surrendered himself into custody at White Plains Federal Court on Thursday, April 11, where he was charged with 83 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of fraudulent U.S. tax returns and one count of attempting to evade or defeat taxes.

According to the indictment, from 2012 through 2016, Barrett’s company prepared and submitted approximately 700 returns each year. Of those 700, several were false, or fraudulent and contained fabricated and intentionally inflated items.

The false tax returns included phony filing statuses, rental real estate losses, unreimbursed employee business expenses, gifts to charity, real estate-related expenses and application of certain tax credits.

During the time he was operating the scheme, Barrett also inflated similar items on his own tax returns. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said that Barrett, who received many of his fees for his tax preparation services in cash, failed to report more than $300,000 in gross receipts for Eversley Tax during the tax years between 2012 and 2015.

Barrett, 64, of New Windsor faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum fine on each of the 83 false tax preparation charges if convicted. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if he is convicted.

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