FLORIDA — A Florida woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for filing false tax returns in an attempt to claim almost $2 million in refunds from the IRS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced.
The woman, Yolanda Dewar, 48, was also ordered to pay $485,290.03 in restitution and will serve one year of supervised release following her prison term.
According to court documents, Ms Dewar filed four fraudulent tax returns on behalf of a trust she created between 2018 and 2020. The returns reportedly overstated the trust’s income and claimed significant tax withholdings, resulting in the IRS issuing nearly $500,000 in refunds.
Despite warnings from the IRS that her claims were frivolous, Ms Dewar continued to file false returns. Prosecutors said she used a portion of the funds for personal expenses, including plastic surgery, home renovations, and purchasing a car for a family member.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Justice Department Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Kavitha Bondada, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Deric Zacca.
