Nashville Man Pleads Guilty To Tax Crimes

NASHVILLE, TN — A 35-year-old Nashville man faces up to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns.

Robert J. Spears worked as a salesperson and manager at a call center. From 2010 through 2012, Spears prepared and filed false tax returns for his coworkers at the call center by claiming bogus education credits, student-loan interest deductions, and child-care expenses. He then diverted a "substantial portion" of his clients' refunds into his own bank accounts and failed to report those diversions on his own tax returns. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

In total, Spears caused a tax loss of over $180,000, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to one count each of filing a false tax return for a client and for himself.

Spears will be sentenced on December 13 and faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison on each false return count, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

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