Four in Trouble with IRS
There will always be opportunists, even in programs with the noblest of intentions. Here's a story of four persons who took advantage of the government's tax program to reward first time home owners with a tax break.
These four individuals in Albuquerque have allegedly defrauded the IRS through the new home buyer's program by fraudulently scheming to obtain tax credits through the program. Under the recent 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), all taxpayers who buy a house for the first time are eligible for up to $8,000 in tax credits that they can claim when they file their 2008 tax returns. But these four individuals allegedly created dozens of applications for these tax credits electronically under different names of home buyers. The IRS say that these applications resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash that was banked into their personal bank accounts.
One of the four, Jerry Gurule admitted his complicity into the scam but asserted that he only played a minor role in it, towards the end. The IRS said that Gurule received $29,601 in tax credit money through making fraudulent applications. Investigators found Gurule through his Internet location and through addresses belonging to him. They found 17 applications for first time home buyers' tax credits made through his IP address. These 17 tax returns totaled approximately $120,503 in tax credits. Gurule said he only made three applications and insisted that what he did was little in comparison to the other three individuals.
Another person allegedly involved in the scheme is Lawrence Jaramillo, who runs a debt consolidation business in San Mateo. IRS agents say Jaramillo has 25 different tax refunds in his account that came up to nearly 175,000 in total. In addition, the secret service is also investigating Jaramillo for bank fraud.
The third individual allegedly part of the scam is Katie Rusk. The federal agents who searched her home found a ledger with names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other identity theft information among 25 items seized. But Rusk declared that the claims against her are 'not accurate'.
It appears that Rusk was indicted two years ago on charges of ID theft. This previous record is certainly not going to help Rusk's cause.
The fourth individual allegedly part of this plot is a man from Rio Rancho.
None of the four have been charged yet.
Darrin T. Mish is a veteran, nationally recognized tax attorney who has focused on providing IRS help to taxpayers for over a decade. He regularly travels the country training other attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents on how to handle their toughest cases with the IRS. He is highly ranked among the top attorneys in the country, with an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a perfect 10 on Avvo.com. Martindale-Hubbell has also honored him with a listing in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He is a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and the Tax Freedom Institute. With clients on every continent but Antarctica, he has what it takes to solve your IRS problems no matter where you live in the world. If you would like more information about his practice and how he can help you, please call his office at (813) 229-7100 or toll free at 1-888-GET-MISH.
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