A tax preparer has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for wire fraud and defrauding the Internal Revenue Service. Omar Khater of Fairfield, N.J., has also been ordered to pay $4.49 million in restitution to the IRS.Khater, who pleaded guilty on January 24, while a conspirator, Walid Khater of Arizona, pleaded guilty on May 23 to similar charges. He has not been sentenced. The two are related, but how, was not stated in an IRS statement.
The Khaters filed documents claiming taxpayers listed on them earned income or won thousands, and some cases millions of dollars, via gambling and lottery winnings, while claiming fake withholdings on the income.
The IRS said Omar and Walid Khater and others used stolen identifies to file fraudulent tax returns, submitting the returns without the knowledge of the victims, which led the IRS to issue $4.49 million in tax refunds to the pair
