Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: Las Vegas Resident Pleads Guilty To Filing False Tax Claims
OAKLAND – Eric Oase pleaded guilty in federal court in Oakland today to filing false claims with the United States, announced Acting United States Attorney Alex G. Tse and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Batdorf.
In pleading guilty, Oase, 52, of Las Vegas, Nev., admitted he owned and operated E&K Tax Solutions in San Leandro, Calif. Oase acknowledged he knowingly prepared and filed numerous false federal income tax returns for others with the Internal Revenue Service. Specifically in 2012, Oase prepared 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 federal income tax returns for his customers that reported false wages, false education expenses, or both, which generated tax refunds. Regardless of the amount of wages or expenses provided by the customers, Oase falsely reported income and education expenses for his customers that generated tax refunds. Oase electronically filed with the IRS the false 2011 tax returns. He directed his customers to mail their 2008 through 2010 tax returns to the IRS. In total, Oase directed his clients to claim fraudulent tax refunds in the amount of $477,333.
A federal grand jury indicted Oase on January 17, 2017, charging him with six counts of filing false claims, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 287. Pursuant to today’s agreement, Oase pleaded guilty to two of the counts.
Oase is currently free on bond. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2018, before the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge, in Oakland. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of filing a false claim in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 287 is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney José A. Olivera is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the IRS-CI.