Former tax preparer in Belleville pleads guilty to submitting false claims against the U.S. for preparation of false federal tax returns

BELLEVILLE - Victoria Foster, 55, of East St. Louis, Illinois, entered pleas of guilty to two counts of false claims against the United States by a paid tax preparer assisting in the preparation of a false federal tax return, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today.

Victoria Foster worked at Elite Tax in Belleville. As part of the plea, Foster admitted that for the 2015 tax year she filed false returns that caused a loss in excess of $180,000. Victoria Foster faces a prison sentence of up to ten years, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to three years of supervised release with mandatory restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2017.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.

More like this: