CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local tax preparer was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison and will have to pay a $15,000 fine after admitting she prepared and filed fraudulent tax returns over a four-year period.
Jeannette Villarreal, who did business under the company name J&G Armadillo's Tax Service and Reals Tax Service, pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States charges in July 2022, as did her daughters Leannette Villarreal and Zeannette Salazar.
In the federal government's case, it outlined how the women filed tax returns on their clients' behalf that reported inaccurate earnings, made up charitable contributions, and applied improper tax credits.
This ultimately cost the government money, which is why they were convicted.
“These three tax preparers not only betrayed the trust of their clients, who counted on them to prepare accurate returns, they betrayed the trust of all taxpaying Americans,” said IRS' - Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington.
Jeannette Villarreal faces 18 months in prison as well as a $15,000 fine, and will have to submit to three years of probation after she is released.
