Operator of South Jersey Tax Preparation Company Pleads Guilty to $340,000 Tax Fraud Scheme

A Cumberland County, New Jersey, woman today admitted her role in a conspiracy to boost business at a tax preparation company she operated by preparing bogus income tax returns for her clients, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Noemi Pender, 57, of Rosenhayn, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to Count One of an indictment charging her with conspiring to aid and assist others in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Pender was a tax preparer who operated Pender Tax Services in Rosenhayn. For the tax years 2007 through 2011, Pender and Grace Garrett, 63, of Pittsgrove, New Jersey, sought to increase referrals, enhance their business, and enrich themselves by preparing and filing income tax returns based on false information. They used a number of fraudulent practices, including falsely claiming a filer was a “head of household,” inventing and inflating deductions, creating fictitious dependents, and creating false credits for education and childcare.

The bogus returns resulted in a tax loss to the government of more than $340,000.

The conspiracy charge to which Pender pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2016. Garrett previously pleaded guilty to her role on May 19, 2015, and awaits sentencing on March 22, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.