Michael Abramson, an Attorney from Wilmette, Illinois, has been convicted of tax fraud, attempting to tamper with a witness, and violating a court order. Abramson filed false individual returns for himself and corporate returns for a company in which he held an ownership interest named Leasing Employment Services Co. Inc. of Illinois.
Mr. Abramson also provided more than $1 million for personal expenses to a woman with whom he was romantically involved, then falsely characterize them as commissions or loans on the company’s returns. The expenses included money for a condo and luxury automobiles as well as travel, shopping, and restaurants.
Following the indictment, the court ordered Abramson to not contact witnesses, including his bookkeeper. Weeks before the trial last February, Abramson gave the bookkeeper a copy of her previous court testimony on which he had handwritten notes changing or otherwise scripting her answers.
I wonder if the girlfriend turned him in? Sentencing is scheduled for May 1st of this year.
Kim Weinrich of Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making a false return. Between 2014 and April 2022, Weinrich was employed by The Mustang Public School District first as a Payroll Supervisor and was then promoted to Director of Payroll Services in 2021.
Beginning in 2016, Weinrich manipulated the district’s payroll accounting software to increase her net pay each period and then deposited the stolen money into a personal bank account. Weinrich’s scheme also resulted in several district employees underreporting their federal and state withholdings.
Between July 2016 and April 2022, Weinrich defrauded the district out of $471,657.91. She faces up to 23 years in prison and fines of up to $350,000.
Abraham Taylor, of Florida and formerly of New Jersey, has been held in contempt of court for continuing to prepare tax returns after the court permanently barred him and his business, Chentay Consulting Services LP from preparing federal income tax returns for others.
Taylor concealed his violations by using the e-filing privileges assigned to Fredrick Gibson, of Uncle Sam Tax Services in Pennsylvania. Taylor agreed to a contempt order and a disgorgement judgment, while Gibson agreed to forfeit his e-filing privileges.
Taylor had done the same thing back in 2021 for using the e-filing privileges assigned to his son O’Neal Taylor and his son’s business. The returns filed by Abraham Taylor are now under intense scrutiny.
Let me leave you with this…
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized an order requiring tax return preparation company H&R Block to compensate its customers $7M for deceptive practices and to make numerous changes in their business practices for the 2025 tax filing season. According to a January 8th release, the FTC stated that consumers were “harmed by the company’s unlawful practices”.
The commission noted that when customers wanted to downgrade to a less expensive product in Block’s online software, that the company required them to contact customer service and then deleted the customers’ previously entered data. According to the complaint, Block also made “deceptive claims about free tax filing.”
The order requires H&R Block to stop the practice of deleting previously entered data when a customer downgrades and to allow customers to downgrade to less expensive packages by using a chatbot or a similar automated tool instead of being forced to talk to a customer representative.
I guess that the word free is a four letter word over at H&R Block.
Also, please choose your accountants wisely. No one needs these sorts of nightmares in their lives.
We’re all going to get through this. Let’s get through it together.
Accounting Solutions Ltd. stands ready to complete our mission and purpose of protecting you, your family, and your business. Whether you need Payroll Services, or Accounting and Tax Work, you have but to ask. I’m here and I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Chris Amundson
President
Accounting Solutions Ltd.
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