Andover IRS Center Employee Charged with Filing False Tax Returns

ANDOVER, MA — An employee of Andover's IRS Service Center was recently charged with filing over 500 false tax returns, for herself and others. Jennifer Beth True, 44, of Lawrence, was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, on Jan. 14. Federal prosecutors said that from 2012 to 2018, True prepared tax forms with "materially false items" that reduced tax liability.

According to prosecutors, True had worked for the IRS for over 20 years. IRS employees are prohibited from "engaging in the preparation of tax returns for compensation, gift, or favor," which she did hundreds of times over half a decade, they said. She received $40 to $100 per return she prepared.

In addition, on at least 70 IRS Forms 1040, True included "materially false items such as false individual retirement account deductions, false medical expenses, false and inflated unreimbursed business expenses and/or false tax preparation fees."

"Some returns also included false child and dependent care credits. Additionally, True allegedly amended one taxpayer’s income tax returns for three prior years, in order to claim false deductions," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a release. "Numerous taxpayers told investigators they had not provided True with the false information and that they did not know that True was including such false information on the returns she prepared." in 2015.

Prosecutors also said True included false claims in her own tax returns.

"True claimed seven dependents, including a taxpayer who was not True’s dependent and who had paid True to prepare and file her tax returns," they wrote. "As a result of claiming the taxpayer as a dependent, True’s tax obligation for 2014 was reduced. This taxpayer never gave True permission to claim her as a dependent."

The maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, and for aggravated identity theft the maximum sentence is two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.