South Jersey Woman Sentenced For $286K In Tax Fraud: Authorities

A South Jersey woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison signing false tax returns for shell companies resulting in $286,742 in fraudulent refunds, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Wednesday.

Marilyn Crespo, 50, of Carney's Point, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging her with one count of filing a false corporate tax return for tax year 2009. She must also serve one year of supervised release, and must pay restitution of $286,742.

Crespo, who previously lived in Guttenberg, Hudson County, admitted that she signed a number of false corporate tax returns for fake businesses at the direction of her husband, Jose Crespo, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. She knew the businesses weren't real and that the money she was claiming on the tax returns were false, authorities said.

In signing these false tax returns, Marilyn Crespo took advantage of fuel excise tax credits offered under federal tax law, according to authorities. The federal government taxes gasoline, diesel fuel, and certain other types of fuel, but certain commercial uses of these fuels are nontaxable. Businesses that purchase fuel for a nontaxable use can claim a tax credit by filing a specific form known as “Credit for Federal Tax Paid on Fuels.”

Marilyn Crespo admitted that she signed a federal corporate tax return for 2009 for Magnum Cleaning Service Corp. that claimed gross receipts of $115,027, a fuel excise tax credit of $20,859 and a resulting refund of $15,750, according to authorities.

In fact, Magnum was a shell company and the gross receipts and fuel excise tax credit numbers were false, according to authorities. Marilyn Crespo received and cashed the $15,750 refund check at a check-cashing facility in Guttenberg. She cashed many other refund checks for similar false tax returns at this same check-cashing facility.

Jose Crespo previously pleaded guilty to engaging in the fuel excise tax credit scheme and another tax fraud scheme and causing an anticipated loss to the IRS of nearly $1.5 million. On Dec. 20, 2017, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

The attached image of Marilyn Crespo was provided by the Attorney General's Office