Miramar Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns

The owner of a local tax preparation business pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to filing false income tax returns.

Melissa Ann Vega, also known as Lisa Vega filed more than 4,000 fake returns and received over $7 million dollars in undeserved refunds from the IRS.

Owner of L&T Works, a tax preparation business in Miramar, Vega pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to file false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims for federal tax refunds, tax evasion and aggravated identity theft.

Between December 2009 and April 2015 Vega conspired with others to defraud the IRS out of millions of dollars. Vega falsified clients’ tax returns without their knowledge and claimed thousands of dollars in false education expenses and tax credits for which her clients were not qualified.

She told employees and co-conspirators to file for a $4,000 education credit for their clients in order to get the maximum refund – even when clients had not attended school for the tax year.

Vega intentionally omitted her name and tax return preparer identification number to conceal her identity.

She and her co-conspirators also stole the identities of people – including minors – to increase the refund amount.

Not only did she charge clients $150 to $200 per return, Vega also stole over $300,000 from her clients by having false refunds sent to bank accounts she controlled.

She also admitted that she evaded her own income taxes and filed false personal tax returns in which she fraudulently claimed withholding credits, education credits, and tax credits for minor dependents that she did not support and were not related to her.

According to court documents, Vega evaded more than $156,000 in taxes due to the IRS between 2009 and 2013.

A previously convicted felon, the plea agreement also set forth a forfeiture provision in which she agreed to surrender several firearms seized at her home during the execution of a search warrant in April 2014, including a sawed-off shotgun, shotgun shells, a 9mm handgun, and 9mm ammunition.

Her husband, Jamie Lang, pleaded guilty to possessing the unregistered sawed-off shotgun and is scheduled to be sentenced in this case on December 18.

Vega also agreed to forfeit $18,600 in refund profits seized during the search, and she is prohibited from preparing or filing taxes for anyone other than herself in the future.

After being released on bond last January, and warned not to commit another federal crime, she began filing false tax returns within days of her release. She was arrested on February 25, 2015.

Vega agreed with fellow conspirator Deanna Dave to misrepresent to the grand jury that Dave was the owner and paid-return preparer for the tax returns filed in February 2015. In truth, Vega continued as the owner of her business and prepared the false tax returns, which she filed for her clients.

On November 17, 2015, Dave pleaded guilty to making a false declaration before the grand jury, and her sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2016.

β€œTax return preparers owe a duty to their clients to prepare tax returns that are accurate and comply with the law,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. β€œTax return preparers who defraud the IRS out of millions of dollars, intentionally falsify tax returns, and steal the identities of minor dependents breach the public’s trust and undermine confidence in the tax system. This Office and our law enforcement partners will vigilantly pursue allegations of such misconduct in order to protect the community and the public.”

Separately, three other defendants have entered guilty pleas admitting their roles in the tax fraud conspiracy.

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