Press Release
FORMER ST. BRENDAN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH PARISHIONER PLEADS GUILTY TO FILING FRAUDULENT TAX REFUND CLAIMS
February 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Betty N. Stewart, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Melissa T. Chedotal, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Robert Parker, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department, announced that defendant Pablo Gehr, 32, pled guilty today to making and filing fraudulent tax refund claims against the United States, in violation of Title18, United States Code, Sections 287 and 2. Gehr was remanded pending sentencing, which is scheduled for June 1, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. At sentencing, Gehr faces up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and mandatory restitution.
During the plea, Gehr admitted that during the tax years 2006-2007, he filed approximately 67 tax returns for persons living in Miami-Dade County, many of whom were parishioners at two local churches. According to statements made in court during the plea hearing, Gehr offered to prepare tax returns for free as a service to the community. However, Gehr was not a certified public accountant and had no formal accounting or tax preparation training. He was not affiliated with any IRS sponsored programs. Gehr inflated the deductions and credits on these tax returns without the filers’ knowledge. Gehr then caused the IRS send the refund checks to bank accounts he controlled, again without the taxpayers’ knowledge or consent. In some instances, Gehr paid the tax filers an amount that they were expecting, while keeping the difference. In other instances, however, he kept the entire tax refund for himself.
In total, the fraudulent tax filings sought more than $272,000 in fraudulent tax refunds. More than $206,000 of this amount was deposited into accounts controlled by Gehr.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aurora Fagan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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