A Florida woman has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for attempting to claim nearly $2 million in refunds from the IRS by filing false tax returns, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Yolanda Dewar, a 48-year-old woman, has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $485,290.03 in restitution. Following her prison term, she will also serve one year of supervised release.
Ms. Dewar is said to have filed four fraudulent tax returns on behalf of a trust she established between 2018 and 2020, as stated in court documents. These returns allegedly exaggerated the trust’s income and made false claims about substantial tax withholdings, leading to the IRS issuing refunds totaling almost $500,000.
Despite repeatedly being warned by the IRS about the frivolous nature of her claims, Ms. Dewar persisted in filing false returns. Prosecutors have revealed that she utilized a portion of the funds for personal expenditures, such as undergoing plastic surgery, renovating her home, and buying a car for a family member.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg from the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida have announced the sentencing. The IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation, while Justice Department Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Kavitha Bondada, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Deric Zacca, handled the prosecution.